


Erotomania

by coolbyrne



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F, New Beginnings, Starting Over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-10-17 21:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 42,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17568074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne
Summary: A reboot of the series and new beginnings. Rizzles, of course.





	1. Chapter 1

The elevator quietly dinged its way to the morgue as Maura evaluated her outfit for the 3rd time. The coffee stain would be covered by her lab coat, but she’d never get the blemish out of her shoes. Sighing at the fate of her Louboutins, she pushed open the morgue door and promptly stopped in her tracks.

“Detective Rizzoli.”

A tall lanky brunette hopped down from the sterile table where she had been casually swinging her legs. “Dr. Isles,” she smiled. “I think this is the first time I beat you down here. Was starting to think you had a cot or something.”

“I find the tables in the cooler much more comfortable.”

The detective blinked twice then grinned. “You have picked up on sarcasm. I knew hanging around us wouldn’t be a complete waste of time.” Jane watched her slip out of her coat and into her crisp white jacket. “Too bad in all that time you haven’t, you know, picked up my first name or anything.”

Maura took in the words and studied the speaker. While she may have improved her use of sarcasm these past 10 months, her comfort in gauging social cues was still in its infancy.

Jane took pity on her uncertainty. “‘Jane’,” she said, pointing to herself.

Maura's mouth twitched. “I see.” Making her way to the cooler, she checked the chart and threw over her shoulder, “What brings you here so early… Jane?” She could see the clenched fist of victory in her peripheral vision.

“Yes!” Jane celebrated. “I mean, I’m here because of the Legano case.”

Her fingers paused on the handle. “My assistant collected trace evidence, but I haven’t processed the body yet. It was only last night. I was about to-”

“Hey, hey,” Jane said, holding up her hands. “I know, I was there, remember? I figured you’d do the autopsy first thing. That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head. “Did you watch Dr. Yeaman’s autopsies?”

Jane scrunched up her face and looked at the ceiling. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

The heavy clunk of the handle pulled back echoed in the room. “This is the 18th autopsy you’ve witnessed since I was promoted to the position.”

Pulling her head back, Jane asked, “Have you been keeping count?” She immediately answered her own question. “Of course you have, what am I saying?” She leaned against the stainless steel wall. “What can I say? You smell a hell of a lot better. Does that bother you?”

Maura swung open the door, showing no resentment. “Why would it? I spend a reasonable amount of time in the morning to ensure- oh, you were asking if your presence bothered me. No.”

“Good. Now where can I find one of those white paper coat thingies?”

Maura smiled but didn’t correct her. “You won’t need it to observe.”

“No, but I’ll need it to help you hoist the body on the table, right?” Her face must’ve been one of surprise because Jane said, “What? You’re not gonna throw it on there yourself, are you?”

“Well no, but-”

Jane was having none of it. “But nothing.”

She didn’t know much about the people she worked with beyond their qualifications, but she did know there was no use in arguing with the detective. The woman was as stubborn as she was talented.

Maura pointed to a shelf in the corner. “You’ll find the white paper coat thingies over there.”

…..

An hour went by with nothing but Maura’s meticulous dictation of organs and weights. Once the breastbone loudly submitted to the bone saw, the process was a succession of snips and cuts and slices. There was a certain rhythm to it that soothed Maura, enveloping her in its exacting routine. The detective watched without words. Over the course of the last few months, Jane had become part of the routine, and Maura was surprised to realize how easily she had let her settle in.

“I believe Detective Frost owes you some money,” she said, breaking the silence.

“How many?”

“Seventeen. I believe the ‘over/under’ was 15?” She tripped slightly over the term.

Jane grinned like a champion. “I knew it.” She saw Maura’s quiet confusion. “Let’s say the over/under in the Bruins game is 4.5, and you pick ‘over’ because you think there will be a lot of goals. Anything over 4.5, and you win. But if the score ends up being 4 or less, you lose.”

Maura nodded as the words began making sense. She smiled at this new knowledge, until she realized how it pertained to the case. “You and Detective Frost bet an ‘over/under’ on how many stab wounds the victim had?”

Unperturbed, Jane shrugged. “It’s a dark job, Maura. You gotta find something to lighten it up or you’ll go crazy.”

“Perhaps yoga might be a better option?”

“Yeah, no.” She looked at the body. “So 17, huh? Not quite Lizzie Borden, but pretty damn close.”

“Closer than you think,” Maura said. “While the nursery rhyme claims 40 wounds-”

“Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one,” Jane recited in a sing-song voice.

Maura held up a finger. “To clarify, it was a hatchet, not an axe.”

“Doesn’t have the same ring to it though, does it?” Jane winked at Maura’s displeasure. “Carry on.”

“Not 40 wounds, and not 41 for her father. Twenty and 10 respectively.”

“Still did the job, though.”

“Whoever killed the Borden family didn’t need to go that far. Based on the damage to their bodies, a half dozen would have sufficed. In our case, however, the killer may have required all 17. Though I can’t yet pinpoint the order of the wounds, many of them are fairly superficial, at least when it comes to the force necessary to kill someone.”

Jane crossed her arms in front of her belt buckle. “So… did she bleed out?”

“No. She suffocated.”

Jerking her head back, Jane raised an eyebrow. “Say again?”

“Stabbing from behind isn’t easy. Though I suppose stabbing from the front isn’t, either.”

Jane said, “The shoulder bones.”

“Scapula, yes. It takes a better than average knowledge of anatomy to know precisely where to slip in a blade.”

“And obviously, our killer had a less than average knowledge.”

“Based on the amount of attempts, yes. In the end, what killed her was a direct puncture of the trachea.”

“She suffocated on her own blood.”

“Yes.”

“Damn.”

“On the list of appealing deaths, this certainly wasn’t one of them.”

“Are any deaths appealing?” 

Maura offered a conciliatory nod.

“Epithelials under her nails? Drugs in her system?” Jane caught the appreciative smile. “What? I watch CSI all the time.”

The smile grew into a laugh. “Waiting for the lab to come back with the results.”

“Just like on TV!” Jane flashed a smile of her own. Stretching the kink from her neck, she sighed. “Okay, I guess I should go do my gumshoe thing.”

“Gumshoe?”

“It’s… nevermind.” She pulled off the disposable smock and tossed it into the garbage can in the corner. After quietly congratulating herself on the shot, she said, “I never did ask- why were you late this morning? I was about to file a Missing Persons.” Maura could only shake her head and smile. “Don’t mind me- I’m a detective and I have an Italian mother. If I don’t ask questions, you know,” she closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

“You’ll die?” Maura finished. “So you’re like some species of shark that need to keep moving to stay alive?”

“Yes, exactly,” Jane said. “The cute species.”

Maura shook her head again. “To answer your question, I had an accident. Oh, nothing serious,” she assured Jane, seeing the concern. “At the coffee shop. I turned and inadvertently bumped into someone with my drink in hand. I’ll never get the stains out of my dress,” she lamented.

Jane slapped her forehead. “Coffee! Dammit! I brought you a coffee this morning. It’s in your office.”

A light dawned over Maura’s head. “That’s why the barista gave me an odd look.”

“She must’ve thought you were having a bad day, ordering another one,” Jane smiled. “I’m sorry about the coffee. It’s probably ice cold by now.”

Maura sensed this was a shift in their working relationship; she had seen enough to know the purchase of coffee was an invitation to a circle, a step up from acquaintance to accepted colleague. “I appreciate the gesture, regardless.” A thought occurred. “How did you know my coffee order?”

Jane shrugged, almost bashfully. “Did I mention I’m a detective?” she deflected.

“I see.”

“Anyway… you’ll text me when labs comes in?” Maura nodded and she did the same. “Great.” She walked to the door, a swagger in her step. “Talk to you later, Maura.”

If the overuse of her first name bothered her, she didn’t show it. “Have a good day. Jane.”

…..

“Someone’s in a good mood.”

The voice greeted Jane as she entered the bullpen, and her smile slipped. “Korsak,” she said in return. Fourteen months had passed since Charles Hoyt and 12 had passed since she had requested a new partner. Old wounds, both literal and figurative, were yet to heal. Her palms throbbed at the memory.

“I’m always happy to collect on a bet.” She turned to Barry Frost and pretended to shoot him with her thumb and forefinger. 

“Dr. Death give you a COD on the Legano case?” Korsak asked with more than a touch of surprise.

“First, it’s ‘Queen of the Dead’,” Jane corrected. “Second, yeah, she’s got a preliminary cause of death, but she’s waiting for trace. Third, could we maybe not call her that?”

Korsak snorted. “Oooh, look who’s sticking up for Dr. D-Isles. Weren’t you the one who came up with that name?”

“Yeah, well, it’s been 10 months. She’s done enough to prove she’s not another Yeaman. We should start taking her seriously.”

“Besides,” Frost piped up, “she takes fashion seriously. That’s good enough for me.”

Korsak rolled his eyes. “Mr. Fashion Plate over here.”

Jane wasn’t about to get between the two men. Instead, she held out her hand to Frost and snapped her fingers lightly. “Pay up.”

“More than 15? Damn.”

“Seventeen,” Jane told him after she kissed the bill and tucked it into her pocket.

“If you could stay at a crime scene for more than 30 seconds, you wouldn’t lose these bets all the time,” Korsak said.

Jane smothered the fire before it could begin. “Find anything?” she asked Frost.

“Got a list of Rachel Legano’s family and associates,” he replied, glaring at Korsak. “Parents are back home in Nebraska. Sent a local uniform out to give the bad news.”

She shook her head. “I hate those calls.”

Nodding, Frost continued, “She worked at Traywood Tech for 5 years. Model employee, though office gossip says she was thinking of filing a sexual harassment suit against her boss, Edwin Reuss.”

“There’s a start. How about boyfriends? Girlfriends? Disgruntled exes?”

He flipped through his notepad. “Found both. A boyfriend and an ex. Had a 2 year relationship with Kyle Graham. By all accounts, he was the one who did the breaking up. Current boyfriend of 8 months is Gary Raines.”

There was a short bark from Korsak. “Ha! Mr. Makin’ it Raines?” Frost raised an eyebrow. “The weatherman for Channel 4? Real name’s Gary Renkelberg. Doesn’t have the same catchy feel, I guess.”

“That smarmy guy on the morning show?” Jane asked. “He’s never right.”

“But the ladies love him!” Korsak looked at Frost. “None of this is ringing any bells, is it?”

“First off, I believe they call them ‘meteorologists. Second,” he held up his phone, “who watches TV anymore?”

“It’s the only way Korsak can watch episodes of The Dog Whisperer.”

“Ha ha. Just for that, you two can go talk to the employer. I’ll go talk to Mr. Hollywood. Maybe get my face on TV.’

“They’ve already made a sequel to ‘Grumpy Old Men’.”

Jane reached across her desk to high-five Frost. “Good one, partner.” Saving Korsak from further embarrassment, she stood and threw on a coat. “See that vein in his forehead, Frost? That’s our cue to go.”

…..

“Traywood Tech,” Frost read from his notes. “Named after its founder, Edwin Traywood Reuss.” He laughed at Jane’s eyeroll. “Started in the telecommunications business 20 years ago. Small stuff like automated voice messages for emergency broadcast systems.”

“If this had been an actual emergency,” Jane intoned.

“Exactly. But I’m guessing you do one, there’s not much repeat business.”

Jane weaved them through mid-day traffic. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure it’s the same message now that it was when I was a kid. So what does Traywood Tech do now?”

“Automated telemarketers.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. So when you get a call at dinner telling you you’ve won a trip to the Bahamas, that’s the guy to thank.”

“Between ‘Traywood’ and telemarketers, I don’t like him already.” She pulled into a spot in front of an imposing building. “Let’s hope he’s our killer. I’d feel like I’d be doing the citizens of Boston two favours.”

Finding the glass door locked, she pressed a nearby button.

“If you have forgotten your code, please press ‘1’. If you’re a visitor, please press ‘9’.”

“Automated voice message,” Frost said.

“I hate them,” Jane whispered. “What ever happened to real people?”

“Cost-effective measures.”

She grunted, not liking the answer, but pressed ‘9’. A moment passed, then the door clicked open. The floor was empty and quiet, and they walked several feet before Jane caught their movements.

“Why are we sneaking around?” she asked, and Frost chuckled at her discovery. Attempting to walk like normal people, they proceeded down the hall, following the signs that pointed them left, then right until they finally came to a desk. “Great. A real person.”

A woman in her 40s greeted them with a smile. “Welcome to Traywood Tech. How can I help you today?”

Jane and Frost exchanged a look. “Detective Rizzoli, Homicide,” she said, pulling back her jacket to reveal her badge. “My partner, Detective Frost. We’re here to see Edwin Reuss.”

The woman flipped through an appointment book. “I don’t see your name.”

“The badge is my appointment,” Jane replied with a steely edge.

The woman didn’t seem phased by the thinly veiled statement. “Let me see if Mr. Reuss is available.”

“What floor is he on?”

“The top, of course, but I’m afraid you can’t just-”

“Thank you.” Before the secretary had a chance to object any further, Jane and Frost were already in a nearby elevator. 

“‘The top, of course’,” Jane mimicked behind closed doors.

“Maybe we should’ve left bread crumbs.”

The doors opened to a small foyer that led them to another door that was ajar. The gold nameplate was ornately inscribed with ‘Edwin T. Reuss’. Jane gave it a soft knock before poking her head inside.

“You must be Detective Rizzoli,” the company’s namesake said without standing up. “Jennifer informed me of your… arrival.” His emphasis on the last word made no secret of what he thought of their tactics.

Jane let the accusation roll off her back. “Yeah, well a murder investigation has a tendency to make me kinda pushy. Edwin Reuss?”

He nodded dumbly at the question before asking one of his own. “A murder investigation?”

“Just wondering where you were last night, Mr. Reuss.”

“You’re asking me if I killed someone?” he scoffed.

“No,” she replied with feigned patience. “I’m asking you where you were last night.”

Sitting back, he laced his fingers together and shrugged. “I had a client until 8pm, then went home.”

“That’s not what your wife said.” She ignored Frost’s quick look and instead kept a level stare on Reuss. When the businessman’s jaw dropped, she smiled.

“There’s no way…” he stammered.

“That she knows you’re having an affair?” Jane finished. “No, she probably doesn’t, though I’ve seen enough murder cases to know you should never rule it out.” She waited for the words to sink in before continuing, “I didn’t speak to your wife and she didn’t tell me anything. But you just did. Maybe you’ve been away from real people too long, Mr. Reuss. So let me ask you again, where were you last night?”

He tried to reclaim some dignity by sitting up straight. “I had a client until 8pm,” he repeated. “Then… I went to the Marriott.”

“How long were you there?”

“I made it home for the 11 o’clock news, so, I don’t know, 10:45?”

Frost referenced the Reuss address on his phone and nodded to Jane. “Sounds about right.”

“What’s her name?”

Reuss shook his head. “There’s no reason to get her involved.”

With an arched brow, Jane said, “Should I ask your wife?”

“Gretchen Miller.”

“The model?” Frost whistled, then quickly covered a cough.

Jane shot him a look before asking Reuss, “What do you know about Rachel Legano?”

He frowned. “Rachel Legano? The looker in R&D?”

His description earned him a glare. “Yeah,” Jane replied, “the looker in R&D. The one who was going to file a sexual harassment suit against you. Can’t imagine why.”

He snorted at the accusation. “Detective. I just admitted to sleeping with Gretchen Miller, one of the most beautiful women in the world. Isn’t that right, Detective Frost?” When he got no reply, he shrugged. “Why would I bother with Rachel Legano when I can have any woman?”

Jane clenched her jaw. “Maybe that’s why you thought you could harass Rachel? You felt entitled.”

“Being the 23rd richest man in America does make me somewhat entitled,” he agreed without remorse. “But I don’t take what I want when I can just buy it.” If he derived any pleasure from Jane’s disdain, it wasn’t enough to stop him from asking, “I trust this stays between us, detectives.”

“You mean, I won’t tell your wife?” Jane asked. “It’ll be a surprise. I bet you don’t get many of those being the 23rd richest man in America, do you?” Without waiting for a reply, she looked at Frost, jerked her head towards the door and left.

“Asshole,” she said, as the elevator closed.

…..


	2. Chapter 2

…..

 

The dark cloud that remained over Jane’s head as they entered the bullpen didn’t dissipate when she saw Korsak.

“What is that?” she asked, eyes narrowing at a new addition to his desk.

“Gary Raines bobblehead!” Korsak crowed. He leaned forward and made the head bounce. “Limited edition!”

Frost rolled his eyes. “Limited to what? A million?”

“Don’t be jelly,” Korsak said. 

“Don’t be...,” Jane floundered, “using that word. Or any others like it.” She slid into her seat. “Is that all you got from our suspect?”

Korsak was unperturbed by her thinly veiled accusation. “This and an ironclad alibi: he was pre-recording a week’s worth of segments until midnight.”

“How do you pre-record the weather?” Frost asked. “No wonder the guy’s wrong all the time.”

“Nah, it was some kind of human interest thing,” Korsak explained. “You know, out in the community, talking to people about their pets or something.”

“Too bad you missed him by a day. He could’ve filled an entire month with your pet stories.” Frost smiled when Jane cocked an approving thumb at him.

“Very funny. Anyway, three other people verified his whereabouts last night. He’s not our guy. And you?”

“Douchecanoe Reuss?” Jane asked rhetorically. “We’re trying to track down his mistress, who happens to be his alibi.”

“Gretchen Miller,” Frost filled in, waiting for Korsak to respond. When no reaction came, he sighed. “The supermodel? Victoria’s Secret? Do you even have a pulse?”

The realization dawned on his face. “The billboard in Kenmore? I can always follow up on that if you two want to take the ex-boyfriend.”

Frost grinned. “Yeah, I bet you could, old man. Not a chance.” He glanced over to Jane. “Right?”

She let out a tired sigh. “Really? Someone was murdered, remember? Could we keep the leering to a minimum?”

“Speaking of fine women,” Korsak noted under his breath.

If she noticed how many heads turned when she stepped into the open room, Maura didn’t show it. Jane wondered if it was simply a matter of the woman knowing the effect she had; there was no way she couldn’t realize it. The snug dress that cost more than Jane’s rent, and the shoes that did wonderous things to the examiner’s calves all seemed out of place in those early days, but now, 10 months later, Jane couldn’t imagine her any other way. Hazel eyes found hers immediately, and they shared a smile.

“Dr. Isles,” Frost said. “Talk about brightening up the place.”

She tipped her head at him. “Thank you, Detective Frost. Is that a Charvet?”

He looked down and self-consciously touched his tie. “Yeah. I treat myself to one every year.”

“Treat yourself?” Korsak said. “How much are they?”

“Oh, anywhere between 200 and 250 dollars,” Maura helpfully supplied. “Joseph-Christophe Charvet opened the world’s first shirt shop in Paris in 1838. His attention to detail is legendary. The magenta is a perfect choice for your suit,” she commended.

Frost ignored Korsak’s sputter and simply smiled. “Thanks, Dr. Isles.”

“So, besides a fashion lesson, which was very informative,” Jane said, “what brings you here?”

She made a seamless transition from fashion to work. “It occurred to me that, while you have been to the morgue 18 times since I began here, I haven’t returned the favour once.”

“So you thought you’d see how the other half lives?” Jane smiled. “If we’d known you were coming, we would’ve cleaned up.”

Maura shook her head. “Oh, that’s not necessary. I don’t expect you to pay as much attention to cleanliness as I do.”

Jane spoke out of the side of her mouth towards her partner. “Have we just been insulted?”

Frost snorted and Maura raised her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry! That’s not what I meant. What I mean to say is…” She coughed, uncertain what to say next. 

Jane enjoyed her endearing discomfort only as long as it took the examiner to blush. “What you meant was, it’s your job to keep things neat and tidy. Not so much for the rest of us.”

A relieved smile crossed Maura’s face. “Yes. In a way, yes. Thank you.”

Jane nodded, then gestured to the file in Maura’s hand. “Tox results?”

Realizing there was a second reason for her visit, Maura said, “Oh, yes. Toxicology came back with their preliminary screens.” She handed the folder to Jane and waited for her to skim the information.

“Seems clean,” Jane read. A word caught her eye. “Antimony?”

“I pay that every month,” Korsak said.

Frost looked across the space between them. “That’s ‘alimony’. She said ‘antimony’.”

Holding up his hands, Korsak said, “Excuse me, Merriam Webster. So what’s it mean?”

“It’s a natural silver metal that is often used in industrial components. Solder, sheet and pipe metal, bearings, castings and pewter, for instance. Antimony oxide can be used in fire-retardant formulations for plastics, rubbers, textiles, paper and paints. Antimony trisulfide is used in the production of explosives, pigments, antimony salts and ruby glass. Alchemist John of Rupesciss introduced antimony compounds in the 14th century to treat leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis.”

Jane waited until it seemed Maura was finished before she said, “How does this fit in with our victim? I wouldn’t think someone working in an office building would be exposed to this stuff. Or is it like asbestos?” 

Maura agreed. “No, it wasn’t enough to give me reason to think she was exposed to it on a regular basis.”

“But there was enough to make you think she came in contact with it at some point?”

“I can’t think of any other reason it would be in her system, and in such a small amount.”

Jane looked off to the side and let the information ruminate. “So she either visited a place that had this antimony, or-”

“Or the killer did,” Frost finished. He clicked his computer to life and snapped his fingers. “The ex-boyfriend works at Hollandsworth Inc.”

“The factory that makes all the equipment for the fire department,” Korsak said.

“That would allow someone to come in contact with antimony,” Maura agreed.

Korsak clapped his hands. “Looks like you two are gonna have to talk to the ex after all.” He laughed at Frost’s defeated groan. “Don’t worry- I’ll think of you while I’m interviewing Ms. Miller.”

Over the banter, Jane said, “Good job, Maura.” 

If the use of her first name in front of the other detectives bothered her, she didn’t show it. Quite the opposite. Beaming at the idea of being a direct part of the investigation, she said, “I’m only glad to help.” When she discovered they had been looking at each other longer than necessary, she quietly coughed before reaching for the file. “I’ll be sure to e-mail you a copy.”

Jane stood and gestured towards the door with the folder. The women walked the short distance together to the elevator until there was no reason for Jane to keep going. She tapped the down button and leaned back on her heels as if contemplating something important. Finally, she said, “You should come down to the Dirty Robber after work.” Maura blinked at the name and Jane laughed. “It’s a bar at the corner. We have a few beers, throw some darts, eat some food.”

Maura nodded her understanding. “You decompress at this… Dirty Robber.”

“Sure. That’s one way to put it.”

“And you want me to decompress there with you.”

Jane heard the words and realized what she was asking. “Yeah, I guess that was stupid, huh? I mean, look at you. You’re probably more of a fine dining Cabernet kinda girl. Forget I asked.”

“Merlot.”

“What?”

“I prefer Merlot. If the Dirty Robber keeps it on hand?”

Jane couldn’t fight the grin that spread across her face. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t know. But I’ll make sure they do.” The elevator door opened. “So, I’ll see you later. Around 5:30?”

“I look forward to it.” She stepped into the elevator and the doors quietly closed behind her.

“Me, too,” Jane said in the empty hall.

…..

The warmth in her chest stayed with her all the way to her office. She had felt something similar the day she graduated at the top of her class, and it was akin to the feeling when she was chosen to replace Dr. Yeaman as Chief Medical Examiner. There was something more here, though, even if she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Academic and professional success was one thing; what had happened in the bullpen was new. 

Belonging.

She was pleased with herself for finding the word and even more so when she realized what it meant. A life spent mostly in solitude was drawn out by an inexplicably beguiling brunette and an invitation. Maura smiled to herself.

“Dr. Isles?”

The voice in the doorway brought her out of her reverie. “Yes, Susie?”

“The hair samples found on Rachel Legano should be put through later today. I would have done them sooner but-”

Maura cut off the unnecessary apology with a smile. “But we have other victims who require the same attention. I understand and trust you’ll give me the results as soon as they become available.”

Susie beamed at her mentor. “Yes, Dr. Isles. Of course. In the meantime, results came in on the substance found around several of the wounds. Interesting amount of glycine and hydroxyproline residues in the chemical makeup.”

“That is interesting. Thank you, Susie.” 

The criminologist nodded and departed, leaving Maura to pore over the unusual findings.

…..

Construction caused a backlog in traffic, and Jane put the car in park while they waited for things to clear. “250 bucks for a tie, huh?”

“Whatever.”

“I’m just saying. I don’t think my boots cost that much and I wear them every day.”

Frost feigned an unimpressed sniff. “Maybe if you spent a little more money on your wardrobe, you’d make your mother happy.”

She raised an eyebrow at his bravery. “So I could catch a man and squirt out little Rizzolis?”

“Ew, why do you have to put it that way?” he grimaced. “Anyway, I’m just saying.”

Hearing him toss her words back made her laugh. “Whatever. Besides, maybe I’m not interested in catching a man.”

He took her words in a different way than she had intended. “Hey,” Frost said, showing his hands, “I’m not gonna judge.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, if you want to catch a woman instead, that’s fine by me, too. I might even know one that might be interested. But damn, you’ll definitely have to up your wardrobe game to catch her.”

They had never talked much about their lives outside of work. Even now, a year after he became her partner, she had to admit she didn’t know much about him beyond what was in his file, so this foray into her personal life caught her off-guard. The casual way he spoke of her sexuality and accepting any choice like they were talking about what to get for lunch momentarily tied her tongue.

He must have felt her hesitancy because he quickly said, “Sorry, Jane. None of my business. Either way.”

She shook her head, not to dismiss his apology but to give herself another second to gather her thoughts. “No, it’s not that.” Rather than asking her to explain, he waited with warm eyes and an inviting smile. This wasn’t the place to get into the labyrinth of denials and avoidances she had constructed over the years, and he didn’t seem interested in pushing her, much to her relief. So she dealt with his inquisitive gaze the only way she was comfortable with.

“You underestimate my charm, Frost.” He coughed over a chuckle. Her face was one of complete innocence. “I don’t know what you think’s so funny.” His smile grew into a broad grin, and the car filled with his laughter. 

…..

“That’s him. Station 4.”

Jane and Frost were standing in the manager’s office which overlooked the factory floor. The room was quiet despite the obvious organized chaos taking place below them. Jane flipped through the time cards.

“Shift work?”

“Yep. 7 to 7, 3 days off, then 7 to 7 flipped.”

She didn’t have to check her watch. “He’s on the morning to night shift.”

“Third day.”

“And how is he as an employee, Mr. Hollandsworth?”

He shrugged. “Truth be told, I don’t know much about him. Only been here for 6 months and we’ve got over 200 employees. Though if I don’t know about him, that probably means he’s doin’ okay.”

Frost nodded. “Like being called in front of the principal.”

The older man grinned. “Yeah, I guess so. What’s this about anyway?”

Jane deflected the question. “Just following up on a couple of things. Do you have your inspection records handy?”

The change in her questioning made him pull back. “Inspection records? Sure.” He turned to a man in the corner. “Karl, print off the last inspection.” To Jane, he said, “Now I’m really confused.” Karl handed the document to Jane. “What is it you’re lookin’ for?”

“Antimony.”

His eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Antimony? You ain’t gonna find that here. We run the cleanest factory in Massachusetts.”

She skimmed the report. “You rate higher than state guidelines.” 

When she looked up for further comment, he said, “My old man died of antimony poisoning back in the 70’s. I was 15. We had no idea back then what the hell it was. Now I know. And I might not know every one of my guys out there on the floor, but I know I don’t want anyone to go through that. We’re the standard every other factory that deals in antimony goes by. I’m proud of that.”

Jane admired his conviction. “Can we talk with Kyle?”

“Yeah, sure.”

…..

It took him a few minutes to remove his protective clothing before he approached the detectives. When Jane told him the nature of their visit, his mouth dropped and his face crumbled.

“Rachel? A-are you sure?” Jane nodded. “I don’t- wow.”

“You seem to be taking it hard, Mr. Graham,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you the one who broke up with her?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did. Doesn’t mean I didn’t care about her.”

Frost pressed his lips together. “So why did you break up with her?”

Kyle shrugged. “We met in college. First year.” He smiled at the memory. “We were both in for 4 year programs. She was from Nebraska and it was her first time away from home.”

“Country girl in the city,” Jane finished.

“Yeah. I mean, she wasn’t wide eyed and innocent, but I was her first real relationship. After 4 years, I just wanted to make sure we had something between us other than school, you know?”

“Must’ve hurt when she turned around and started dating Gary Raines,” Frost said.

“At first, yeah. But I figured it was just a rebound. I didn’t think it was serious.”

“Why not?”

“She got lured in by the attention, but she was a smart girl. She was his 3rd girlfriend in a year.”

“You know a lot about Gary Raines,” Jane said. 

The young man chuckled. “Maybe I watch too much TMZ.”

She conceded the point with a nod. “Can you think of anyone who might’ve wanted to hurt Rachel?”

Reminded of the severity of the visit, his smile faded. “No. I mean, it’s Rachel. She never had a bad thing to say about anyone. Everyone loved her.”

“You know I have to ask, Mr. Graham - where were you last night between 11pm and 2am?”

“Crashed out at home. I’m workin’ the 7am shift.”

“Anyone vouch for your whereabouts?” He shook his head. “Okay. Here’s my card. If you think of anything, call me.”

…..

“What do you think?” Jane asked once they got back to the car.

Frost blew out a breath. “We got the boss, the boyfriend and the ex. Based on all that, I’d go with the boss, but I might just be jealous.”

Jane grinned. “It is so much more satisfying when it’s a douchebag, isn’t it?” She gazed out the window. “But his alibi’s gonna hold. And it looks like the current boyfriend is in the clear based on what Korsak found out.”

“But the ex doesn’t ring any alarm bells either. I thought the antimony would be the kicker.”

“So we need to find out where else we can find this antimony. In the meantime, we get to hear all about Korsak infiltrating America’s Next Top Model.

Frost screwed up his face. “Lucky bastard.”

…..


	3. Chapter 3

…..

While Korsak’s visit with the model plastered a beaming smile on his face, the information he brought back didn’t do nearly the same for Jane or Frost. As expected, Ruess’ alibi held.

“So it’s the ex,” Korsak said. “No alibi, works where there’s adamantium, had access to her apartment.”

Frost snorted. “First, it’s antimony. Adamantium is what Wolverine has. How you even know that word is beyond me. Second, inspection records have that factory at less than 1% detection. Third, I just don’t get a vibe off him.”

Korsak echoed the snort. “Lemme guess: he had some sob story about how wonderful she was and how he’d never do anything to hurt her.” His singsong tone said what he thought of it.

Shrugging, Frost conceded an inch. “I’m just sayin’.”

Korsak turned to Jane and said, “You’d better teach your new partner how it really works with these cases.”

She wasn’t going to undermine him in front of anyone. Not only was it not good for their partnership, but Jane was also leaning towards Frost’s assessment. 

“We’ll do a full background check. Talk to friends and family. Any ex-girlfriends. Ruess’, Graham’s, and Raines’.”

“He does have enough of them,” Frost agreed. 

“I’ll take Ruess’ exes,” Korsak volunteered.

“You’re just hopin’ they’re all Victoria Secret models,” Frost accused.

Korsak frowned. “Uh, duh.”

“First thing we’re going to do,” Jane interrupted, “is call it a day. I told Maura we’d meet her at the Robber.”

“‘Maura’?” Korsak repeated, playfully arching a brow.

Jane rolled her eyes, and Frost pretended not to be amused. “Whatever. Are you coming or not? I don’t want her stuck with Grabby Carl.”

That was something both men could agree on. Checking his pocket for keys, Korsak said, “First round’s on the new guy.”

…..

After being told he’d be the new guy until someone new joined the squad, even if it was 10 years from now, Frost begrudgingly brought back three beers just in time to see Maura enter the bar. 

“She’s prompt,” Korsak observed.

Jane raised a welcoming hand and shifted in the booth seat to make room. “Probably heard about Grabby Carl,” she whispered out of the side of her mouth. 

“Dr. Isles,” both men greeted. 

“Detective Korsak. Detective Frost.” She turned to Jane. “Detective Rizzoli.”

The way she said it brought warmth to Jane’s cheeks and she thanked the stars the light in the bar was low. Covering up her unexpected fluster, she said, “If you have to say that every time, it’ll take forever to finish a sentence. ‘Vince’, ‘Frost’. ‘Jane’.”

Maura laughed at the unnecessary addition of Jane’s name. “Okay.”

“I actually have a first name,” Frost said. “It’s ‘Barry’. Not sure how many people know that.” He glared at his partner.

“‘Barry’?” Jane repeated, pretending to hear the name for the first time. 

“Very funny. But whatever you feel comfortable with, Dr. Isles.”

“Then I insist you call me ‘Maura’.”

Frost made a face as if a favourite teacher had just told him to call them by their first name. “That might take some getting used to.”

The waitress approached. “A new detective?” she asked, looking at Maura.

“Oh, no,” Maura replied. “I work in the morgue.”

“That’s like saying Ted Williams was just some ball player,” Jane said, having none of Maura’s modesty. “Stacey, this is the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

The waitress nodded approvingly. “I knew she was too pretty to be one of you schmucks. Not including you, Barry.” Over the protests of the other two detectives, she asked Maura, “What can I get you, Chief?”

She replied, “A nice Merlot if you have it?”

“Wine?” Stacey repeated, glancing around the bar. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve been asked for wine in years.”

“The good news is, if you still have the same bottle, it’s aged well.” 

Stacey stuck her tongue out at Jane. “Ha ha. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Sorry,” Jane said. “The Robber’s not exactly known for its wine.”

Maura looked around, taking in her surroundings. “I like it. I’ve never visited an establishment that had such potential to be a crime scene!” When her gaze returned to the table, she was met with three amused eyebrows. “Oh. I’ve said something wrong. Wait.” She replayed her words back. “It was implying the bar is a suitable venue for crime.”

Jane raised her hand to give a high-5, which Maura mimicked. “Bingo.”

Frost, in his amiable way, took a different tack. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with honesty, Dr. Isles. In fact, it’s kinda refreshing.”

“Yeah,” Korsak jumped in. “We’re so used to dealing with liars, it’s a relief when someone tells the truth.”

“You’re all being very kind, thank you.”

Jane bumped her shoulder into Maura’s. “Remember that when Stacey comes back with a bottle of Blue Nun.”

…..

To everyone’s surprise - none more than Stacey’s - the wine was a vintage Shafer, something the bartender said he’d been keeping for years. Maura sipped it with appreciation, while revelling in the camaraderie of the people around her. They had a rule about ‘shop talk’, but that only seemed to involve current cases, as they entertained her with stories of first times and funniest calls.

“How about you, Dr. Isles?” Frost asked.

She didn’t correct the use of her surname. “I don’t usually get called unless the victim is dead. As you can imagine, most of the humour is gone by then. Oh!” A memory came to her. “On my very first case, I was called to a death at a circus.”

“Suspicious clown death?” Jane asked.

“Yes! You know this one?”

“No,” Jane replied, “I just don’t like clowns and was hoping for the best.”

Maura grinned. “‘Coulrophobia’. Fear of clowns.”

Jane immediately protested. “I’m not afraid of them. I just-” She looked around the table at the expectant faces. “Okay. They give me the creeps. Continue.”

“Well, I arrived to sign off on the time of death, but his wife darted under the police tape and rushed to her husband’s body. I confess I was too startled to react, and before anyone could respond, she began cardiovascular pulmonary resuscitation. It was fruitless, of course; the man had clearly been dead for more than an hour. We all stood back, uncertain what to do for this poor woman. I remember it being incredibly quiet; we couldn’t hear anything but her soft cries and the squeak of the novelty nose that had been the cause of death.”

Frost nearly spit out his beer, and Korsak’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, wait,” Frost said once he regained his breath. “The cause of death was, he choked on his clown nose?”

“Someone had shoved it down his throat,” Maura clarified. “If I remember correctly, it was the strongman.”

This only made them laugh more.

“Imagine how strong you’d have to be to shove a rubber ball down a clown’s throat?” Korsak marvelled. 

“All I can imagine is 30 squeaks per minute,” Jane deadpanned, causing Frost to choke again. She feigned the chest compressions. “Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.” When the laughter died down, she lifted her bottle. “To clown deaths.” She looked at Maura. “And first times.”

…..

Korsak left first, followed shortly by Frost. Jane took over the bench seat across from Maura and stretched out while she surveyed the bar. A Thursday night crowd was a tame one compared to the weekend, and she was glad of it. She was enjoying the quiet company in a way that surprised her. So many dates felt the need to fill every moment with chatter. Maura seemed content in their shared silence.

_‘Dates?’_ her brain teased. _‘Ma will be so happy to find out you’ve been on a date. Not sure what she’ll think when she finds out it was a woman. And ya might want to let Maura know.’_

Maura caught the frown. “What is it?”

Jane peeled the label from her empty bottle. “Just thinking about the case.”

The lie must have been convincing, because Maura nodded. “Would you like another beer?”

She shook her head. “Only one on a school night. And I’m driving.” 

“Very responsible.”

She stretched her arms out and up and yawned. “Sorry. It’s been a long week, and it’s only Thursday.”

“Only one more day.”

“Yay!” she raised a fist in victory. “Then a weekend filled with laundry and a family dinner.” Her expression clearly told what she thought of both prospects.

“I’d love a family dinner,” Maura said wistfully.

“Yeah, can’t beat all the leftovers I go home with.” The noncommittal reply made Jane tilt her head. “You don’t do family dinners?”

Maura’s laugh was tinged with bitterness. “No,” she answered, “certainly not in the way you might think.” Jane silently encouraged her to continue. “My adoptive parents aren’t what you would describe as involved in my life. Don’t get me wrong,” she quickly added, “they call and email, but it’s been over three years since I’ve seen either of them.” Jane’s open mouth made her smile. “Must be very different from your own family.”

“I don’t know whether I should feel bad or be jealous. But what I do know is, you’re coming over Sunday for dinner.”

“Oh, I couldn't possibly-”

“What? Charm my parents? Ma already asks about you all the time.” She adopted an exaggerated Boston drawl. _“‘Janie, why don’t you dress like that nice girl in the morgue? Why is she there? Such a pretty girl shouldn’t be stuck in the basement.’”_ She basked in Maura’s laughter. “Yeah,” she continued in her own voice, “pretty sure Ma already likes you. And as long as you don’t talk during the game, Pop will like you, too.”

Maura hesitated, then said, “If you’re sure.”

“Positive. Besides,” she added with a sly grin, “one more person to talk to means one more person Ma can grill.” She winked at Maura’s mortified face. “First, that’s an expression. Second, I didn’t know you were adopted.”

Maura blinked at the change in subject. “Oh, it’s nothing. I mean, of course, it’s something. I’ve just learned not to make anything of it.” 

“Don’t sweat it, Maura,” Jane said, all teasing gone. “We all have our thing.” Her eyes brought a silent attention to her scarred hands for the first time that night. 

Rather than voice the many questions she clearly had, Maura simply nodded. “I would love to join you and your family for dinner on Sunday.”

Jane was quietly appreciative of Maura’s deflection. “Great. And on that note, we’d better go before my ass takes root.”

…...


	4. Chapter 4

…..

“You’re in a good mood today, Dr. Isles.” The barista smiled as Maura approached the counter. “Not that you don’t always look happy,” she quickly amended.

Maura forgave the comment with a smile of her own. “Good morning, Isabelle. I had a very good night, thank you for noticing.”

Isabelle flashed a thumbs up. “Awesome! And the morning should be just as good. Not only is it Friday, but someone already paid for your tea.” She lifted the cup and placed it on the counter.

Maura quickly glanced around. Though she saw many familiar faces, there were none who she’d consider her anonymous buyer. “Detective Rizzoli?”

“No,” she replied. “There was a note on my register when I came in this morning. I guess someone dropped by last night and paid, saying it was for you. Like a pay-it-forward, but to a specific person?” Her statement ended in an up-tone common with girls her age.

Frowning, Maura hesitated to take the drink, and the barista caught the pause. “If it makes you feel better, you could always pay for someone else. I’ll tell the next person someone overpaid or something.”

This met with Maura’s approval. “That sounds reasonable,” she agreed, slipping a ten across the counter. “The rest is your tip.”

“Thanks, Dr.Isles.”

Maura took her tea and left the shop, puzzled at the anonymous gesture, but thinking less and less of it as she got closer to the station. 

…..

“Oh, my God,” Angela gasped, a hand over her heart. “You’ve come home from the war.”

“Ha ha, very funny, Ma.” Jane subjected herself to her mother’s over the top affection. “I saw you yesterday.”

“You did not. The last I saw you was the day you swooped in for a coffee and muffin. That was two days ago.” She stepped back and crossed her arms. “I’d like to know how we can work in the same building but go days without seeing each other.”

“Yeah,” Jane nodded, “it _is_ a mystery.”

Angela harrumphed. “The muffins won’t be out of the oven for another 10 minutes.”

Jane grinned. “Love you, Ma. And just so you know, I’m not here for your baked goods. Well, I am, but I invited someone to the family dinner.” Angela’s eyes lit up and Jane quickly said, “Not like that, Ma! I invited Maura.”

“Maura?”

“The new Medical Examiner?

“The new-”

“‘The pretty girl in the morgue’?” Even though it was a simple repeat of something her mother had said, Jane could still feel the heat paint her cheeks. 

“Oh!” She began to look around frantically. “I’ll have to ask Stanley if I can leave early! Bellucio’s has the best prosciutto! What kind of wine does she like?”

Jane grabbed her mother’s flailing hands and tried not to laugh at her panicked expression. “Ma, calm down.” She waited for her mother to look her in the eye. “She’s Maura, not the Queen, okay? She’ll like whatever. Trust me.”

“I just- she’s so put together, you know? I know she goes to all these fancy restaurants, and if you’re bringing her home, I want to make sure she’s impressed.”

The wording made Jane frown. “Yeah, bringing her home. Like I brought Frost home.” She scrutinized her mother under a furrowed brow, trying to decipher what was behind an innocent face that was fooling no one. Maura’s entrance saved her mother from further suspicion, a fact that Jane pointed out with a knowing nod before waving Maura towards them.

“‘Morning,” Jane said.

“Good morning.” She turned to Angela. “Good morning, Mrs. Rizzoli.”

Angela playfully slapped Maura’s arm. “Please, call me ‘Angela’.”

“I was just telling Ma you were coming over for dinner.”

“Yes,” Maura enthused. “If that’s okay, of course.”

“Oh, sweetie, I would be so happy to have you. Janie’s talked so much about you.”

“Ma!” Jane hissed between clenched teeth. 

“What? I can’t say it’s nice my daughter has something to talk about now besides murderers and killers?”

“Think those are the same thing, Ma,” Jane said, hoping to deflect the spotlight. 

“Tomatoes, tomahtos.” With surprising tenderness, she touched Maura’s hand. “I’m just glad she has a friend.” 

Maura looked from Angela to Jane and back again. “I’m glad, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jane said. “Now that family and friends hour is over, aren’t those muffins done yet?”

Unperturbed by Jane’s embarrassment, she pinched her daughter's cheek and squeezed in an unwanted hug. “Give me two minutes. Would you like one, Dr. Isles? We’ve got low fat ones, though you don’t need it, you look fabulous.”

“Oh my god, Ma. Go!”

For the first time, Maura recognized banter and it made her feel good to be part of it. “Whatever you get for Jane is fine. And please, call me ‘Maura’.”

The matriarch disappeared into the cafeteria kitchen. Jane covered her face with a hand. “If you change your mind about dinner, I wouldn’t blame you. Hurricane Ma.”

“I find her delightful,” Maura declared. “Unless you don’t want me to come?”

The slight concern was unmistakable, and one Jane quickly fixed. “No. I mean, no, I don’t want you to not come.” She looked off to the side, her mouth moving soundlessly as she repeated what she had just said. It was a comical look that made Maura laugh.

“I understand.”

“Good, because I’m not sure I do.” She smiled. “What I do know is, if you don’t show up for dinner now, you’ll break Ma’s heart, and believe me, you don’t want that.” There was a story in the way she rolled her eyes and tipped her head.

“Here you go, girls,” Angela declared, returning from the kitchen with two paper bags in her hands. “Chocolate chip for you, Maura. And low fat carrot for you, sweetie.” Jane’s jaw drop made it hard for Angela to keep up the pretense. Bursting out laughing, she said, “Or maybe chocolate chip. I’m forgetful.”

“Uh-huh,” Jane replied, snatching the bag from her mother’s grip. With a thumb in Maura’s direction, she said, “This one’s allergic to peanuts, is lactose intolerant, and can’t eat gluten. Good luck, Ma.”

Angela’s shocked gaze went from her daughter's departing back to Maura who shook her head. Having picked up enough of Jane’s sarcasm over the last few months, Maura was able to reassure the older woman. 

“I believe she thinks that’s funny. I am not. I mean, allergic to peanuts, lactose intolerant or require a gluten-free meal.” She paused. “Though some might say I’m not funny, either.”

Angela blinked, then laughed. “I like you.” She surprised Maura with a quick hug. “You’d better be off. If I don’t see you later, I’ll see you Sunday.”

Capable of nothing but honesty, Maura smiled and said, “I look forward to it.”

…..

“You know,” Jane said as she strolled into the bullpen, “you’re not still the new guy, no matter what Korsak says.”

Frost looked away from his computer and grinned. Based on the paper by his side that was almost filled with notes, he had been there well before 9am. “Just getting some background info on our suspects. Besides, how’m I gonna get your job if I don’t show up early?”

Jane snorted. “‘Show up’ or ‘show me up’?” Tossing him the bag, she said, “Don’t say I never give you anything. Consider it payment for letting me keep my job another day.”

He unrolled the top and inhaled deeply. “Deal.”

Chuckling, she gestured at his notes. “What’ve you got?”

“Just some names and contact numbers. Kyle Graham hasn’t had a girlfriend since Rachel. According to his favourite maitre’d, Edwin Ruess has had at least two mistresses in the last three years, not including Gretchen Miller. Lucky bastard.” Frost muttered the last part under his breath, though not low enough for Jane to not laugh. “And Gary Raines switches women quicker than disposable razors.” His dark expression told Jane exactly what he thought of the man.

“Good job on the maitre’d angle,” Jane said, steering him into something more positive. “Anything stand out about any of these exes?”

“Hard to say right now. Everything I’ve found out about them is superficial. Banking, residence, education, that kinda thing.”

Jane nodded, not having expected much. “We’ll split the list and give them a call.”

“What exactly are we looking for?”

“No one wants to dish the dirt on someone faster than an ex-girlfriend.”

“Oh, yeah?” Frost’s face was one of innocence.

Narrowing her eyes, she snapped her fingers at him. “Give me the bag back.”

“Nuh-uh,” he grinned. “You don’t want to question them face to face?”

She gave him one final look to let him know she recognized the diversion. “No point. If there’s something worth finding, they’ll be happy to tell us without the police presence. Besides, if we visit them all, Korsak will want to ‘interview’ the mistresses and we may never get him back.”

“True that.” Frost tapped his notes. “Did have one potentially interesting thing show up: one of Raines’ old girlfriends is Cynthia Parker.” When Jane’s response was nothing more than a blank look, Frost said, “You really don’t watch anything other than the Pats and the Sox, do you?”

“Not true. I also watch the Bruins and the Celtics.”

Shaking his head, he said, “The chef on Channel 4. You know, they’ll do a cooking segment or- nevermind. What am I saying?”

“Frost, I have Joe’s Pizza on speed dial and an Italian mother.” Her exaggerated shrug finished the remark.

“Anyway,” he continued, “she was his last girlfriend before Rachel.”

Jane stretched. “Let’s pay her a visit.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure, why not. We’ll leave the list for Korsak and he can see if his operator voice gets him anything.”

“Ewww.”

“And it’ll give me an excuse to stop by La Bakeria on the way back.”

“Now you’re talking.”

…..

While her TV viewing was primarily sports, she did manage to catch the nightly news, sometimes for professional reasons and sometimes for its ability to cure her insomnia. Over the years, she had visited the studio a handful of times, and she always marvelled at how small it was in reality, how clever camera work and editing turned what looked like a high school production into a glossy, professional show. She flashed her badge at the set security, and he pointed to the dressing rooms, reminding her to be mindful of the cables that wove around the floor like a den of snakes. When she caught Frost checking out the cameras, she grinned.

“Thinking of a career change?”

He stroked his chin. “Mom always said I had a face for TV. My luck though, they’d ask me to be the next Al Roker.”

She laughed at the image of him standing in front of a weather map, wishing centenarians ‘Happy Birthday’. “Ma would be thrilled to get the birthday shout-out.”

“I’m telling her you called her old.”

She winked but turned serious when they reached Cynthia Parker’s dressing room. The jeweled name plate made it easy to find. Jane rolled her eyes before knocking on the door. 

“I swear to God you better have found fresh arugula, Derrick!” The door was yanked open. “You’re not Derrick.”

“No,” Jane agreed. Pulling back her jacket, she showed the badge on her hip. “Detective Jane Rizzoli, my partner Barry Frost. Boston Homicide. Wondering if we could ask you a few questions about Gary Raines.”

“Why, did someone kill him?” The question's tone wasn’t serious, but it wasn’t hard to figure out how she’d feel if the answer had been. “Come on in.” She stepped aside and let the detectives into the small room. “Sorry about the space.” She sat in front of a mirror that appeared to be powered by a 1000 watts.

Jane blinked at the surroundings. Everything had its place in the very white room, from the books that were at right angles to the edges of the table they sat upon, to the calendar that was pinned exactly in the middle of the wall space beside the mirror. Being a natural slob, the pristine appearance almost made her itch. Frost hid a smirk.

“Wow, okay,” Jane whispered before getting to the matter at hand. “Just wondered why you two broke up.”

Her reflection looked at Jane while she applied her makeup. “Nothing specific. Probably just one of those things that should have stayed at the office Christmas party, if you know what I mean. We went out a few times, but in the end, didn’t have much in common. And workplace romances never work out.”

Frost caught Jane’s subtle reaction to the throwaway comment. He steered the questioning in a more specific direction. 

“What was he like as a boyfriend?”

Cynthia shrugged. “Nothing remarkable, in any of the departments, if you get my meaning.”

Frost chuckled. “Yeah, pretty sure I do.”

A realization lit up her eyes. “Is this about Rachel Legano? You don’t think Gary had anything to do with that, do you?”

“Do you?” Jane asked.

She put down her lipstick. “My first thought would be no. But who knows what anyone’s capable of? I’m sure you’ve seen enough of it in your line of work, detectives.”

Jane nodded and handed over her business card. “If you think of anything, let me know.” 

Cynthia flicked the card’s corner. “If you talk to him, can you get my knife set back? I gave it to him as a gift and it cost me a pretty penny. Asshole doesn’t even cook.”

…..


	5. Chapter 5

…..

“Bein’ the next Al Roker suddenly’s not lookin’ so bad,” Frost remarked when they pulled into the gated driveway. 

Jane bent to look up through the windshield at the house that would require a winning lottery ticket to own. Large bay windows and marble columns framing the front door flaunted a bank account Jane could only dream of having. Putting the car into park, she stepped out onto the cobblestones that were arranged into a shape that somehow reminded her of chemistry formulas. 

“We’re going to sneak in one night and plant a pink flamingo on the front yard,” she vowed to Frost’s amusement. 

Cynthia Parker’s innocent comment about the knife set piqued Jane’s interest, and considering they didn’t have much to go on until the rest of the lab results came in, she didn’t think they had much to lose by visiting Gary Raines. They were going to ‘shake the tree’ as she had put it, and if something fell out, all the better.

“Yes?” the man asked at the door. His smile gleamed with practiced politeness.

“Gary Raines?” she asked, showing her badge as she had done with Cynthia Parker. “Boston Homicide. Was wondering if we could ask you a few questions.”

“If this is about Rachel Legano, someone from your department already visited.”

She nodded. “Yeah, but you know how it is- boss upstairs wants all the Ts crossed and the Is dotted.”

“You mean the boss is an expert in wasting money,” he replied casually. “Same everywhere. C’mon in.”

If they needed to know anything about the man, the answer was in the vast array of selfies he had taken with numerous celebrities and politicians that lined both sides of the hall. 

“Never saw a side of himself he didn’t like,” Frost muttered.

Gary looked over his shoulder. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Frost said. “Just admiring the photos.”

“You get to meet a lot of famous people in this line of work. I know people think of me as the weatherman, but really, I’m more of a voice of the people. Through me, viewers feel like they get to know a glimpse of their idols.”

The detectives shared a look but didn’t comment. 

“Can I interest you in something to drink?” he asked when they entered the open kitchen.

“Just a water, thanks,” Jane replied.

He walked to a refrigerator that would have cost Jane a month’s salary. Pulling out two small bottles, he asked, “So what can I do for you?”

She thanked him for the water and said, “Just some follow up questions about Rachel Legano.”

“What a waste,” he remarked.

Jane raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?”

“I mean, she was young and hot. Shame for things to end like that.”

She pressed her lips together to reign in her personal thoughts on the callous remark. In a more professional tone, she asked, “How long did you know her?”

“Just over 6 months. Met her at a charity event for sick kids. But I already told the other guy that.”

“Crosses and dots, like I said, Mr. Raines. And what was your relationship status before meeting Rachel?”

He frowned in confusion. “My relationship status? You mean, was I single? I don’t think I’ve been single in over 10 years,” he said. He must have heard his own conceit because he chuckled. “No offense, but I’m not a single kinda guy.”

“You don’t say,” Jane replied. Before he could respond, she added, “Cynthia Parker said you two had a relationship?”

His chuckle grew into a full laugh. “Crazy Cynthia. Man, if the viewers could see what she’s like behind closed doors.”

“‘Crazy’?” Jane asked. “In what way?”

“Oh, in every way. Which was great in the bedroom, you know what I mean?” He winked at Frost. “But day to day, that shit gets old. We hooked up at the Christmas party and had some good times, but…”

“But?”

He shrugged. “It was too much. Everything had to be just so, you know? Shirts folded a certain way, closet arranged by colour, no gluten after 6pm. Just weird shit.”

“How long were you together?”

He looked off into the distance, referencing a mental calendar. “Less than a year. Not enough time for me to have to buy her a Christmas gift.” He grinned like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Stone-faced, Jane noted, “But long enough for her to buy you those knives.”

He followed her gaze to the knife block on the granite counter. “Yeah. Not that I ever used them.”

Jane casually walked. She bent and examined them. “She mentioned you didn’t cook.”

“Is that what she said? More like, she’s so self-centred that she bought me knives only she could use.” Seeing Jane’s confusion, he explained, “They’re left-handed knives. Cut myself twice when I forgot what side the bevel was on.”

Being a southpaw, she couldn’t help but grin. “Where have you been all my life?” she asked the block.

“Probably in Japan,” Gary answered. “That’s where those come from.”

Frost whistled in admiration.

Amid Jane’s covetous examination, something caught her eye. Revealing nothing, she stood and almost abashedly said, “When we questioned her, she asked us to bring the knives back. She wasn’t too happy you still had them.”

He blew out an unimpressed reply. “She can have them. What am I supposed to do with them?”

“If you’re sure, we can do that for you, Mr. Raines.”

“Please. You’ll be doing me a favour. Let me get you a bag.”

Frost caught the look in Jane’s eye but knew enough to remain silent. 

“I appreciate your help,” Jane thanked, carefully taking the bag from him. “If you don’t mind, I’m just going to record you letting us take these. As a police officer, it’d look bad if we were accused of theft.”

He laughed. “It’d be just like that crazy bitch to accuse me of getting rid of them, so you’d be covering both our asses.” He waited for Jane to take her phone out and start the video. Staring into the tiny camera, his practiced TV personal shone through. “I, Gary Raines, of sound mind and body, allow these fine detectives of the Boston Police Department, to take these god-forsaken useless knives back to their rightful owner, Ms. Cynthia Parker. In return, I hope I’ll be able to finally get my house key back. Thank you.” Jane pressed the screen, turning off the recording. “Good enough?”

“More than,” she replied.

“Great.” He began to walk them to the door. “And I wasn’t kidding about that house key. Think you could get it for me?”

Jane pasted a smile on her face. “We’ll do what we can.”

Out of earshot, Frost said, “We should be charging money for delivery service.”

“We’re not delivering it to Cynthia Parker,” she told him, starting the recording again. “We’re taking it to the station.”

…..

“You just took it out of his house?” Korsak asked incredulously. “No warrant, no rights read?”

“He volunteered it and we taped it,” Jane defended. “Basic seizure of relinquished evidence offered without coercion or threats.”

“Don’t parrot the book to me.”

She shrugged. “Just stating facts. And we recorded the entire chain of evidence from house to lab.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed, “And you went right from his place to the lab? No stops.”

“No stops,” she repeated. “Even though I promised this one La Bakeria.”

Frost grumbled. “So not fair.”

“Okay,” Korsak relented. “Cavanaugh’s probably going to have a shit; you better hope you covered your ass enough.”

“When that drop of blood I saw in the handle comes back as Rachel Legano’s, he’ll forget all about my ass, as remarkable as it is.”

Frost’s cough wasn’t quick enough to warn her.

“Your confidence is quite refreshing, detective.”

Jane spun her head so quickly at the voice, it was almost comical. “Maura! I mean, Dr. Isles.” Covering up her faux pas, she quickly added, “Didn’t I just see you?”

Nodding, Maura said, “Yes, but in the excitement of the new evidence, I forgot to share information on the old evidence. Though I’m not sure what it means.” She passed a folder to Jane.

“‘Glycine and hydroxyproline residues’,” Jane read aloud. “And green food colouring. Okay. I’m not sure what it means, either.”

“Generally speaking, they are the main components of transparent elastic thermoreversible gels.” She paused but received only blank expressions in return. “Gelatin?”

“Green Jell-O?” Frost asked. 

Maura frowned. “I’m not familiar with that reference.”

Eyes wide, Jane asked, “You’ve never had Jell-O? 

“‘Jell-O’,” Maura echoed, rolling the letters in her mouth.

“Aw, man!” Frost beamed. “Every birthday I went to as a kid had Jell-O!”

“The best part of getting your tonsils out,” Korsak said.

“I can’t believe you don’t know what Jell-O is,” Jane marvelled. She saw a change in Maura’s expression and quickly reached out for her hand. “Hey. We’re just teasing.”

Frost caught on and smiled, “It’s how you know we like you, Dr. Isles.”

“Ah, I see,” she replied, slowly nodding. “Group taunting that ensures the herd is brought into line.”

Korsak made a face. “Jeez, it doesn’t sound so good when you put it like that.”

“No, no, I didn’t mean it that way.” She smiled to soften her words. “It’s societal tradition and I’m honoured you included me in it.”

The three detectives tilted their heads and Jane looked at Frost. “That was a compliment, right?”

“I think so, yeah.”

“Very much so,” Maura assured them.

Jane tapped the folder on her knee. “So Jell-O around the stab wounds. What do you think it means?”

“I couldn’t possibly speculate, but I suspect finding any on the knives you brought in would answer your question.”

“I hope so,” Korsak said, “because I got nothin’ this morning from any of the exes. These knives are the best thing we’ve got.”

“We’ll try to have preliminary results in by Monday,” Maura said. “In the meantime, what will you do?”

Jane looked over at Frost who immediately knew the answer. “La Bakeria, baby!”

…..

Fridays made it hard hard to summon much effort on the busiest of weeks, and with only one open case, it was even harder to do anything that didn’t involve watching the clock. Cavanaugh must’ve seen the lack of output by his team because with an hour left in the work day, he stuck his head out of his office and growled, “Get going. Maybe you’ll find it in your hearts to get your ass in gear on Monday.” They had the good grace to look half embarrassed.

“Any plans for the weekend?” Frost asked, shutting down his computer.

Jane did the same. “Same as always. Free food in exchange for 3 hours of family drama.”

“Heard you invited the doc.”

Jane swivelled in Korsak’s direction. “What?”

Standing, Korsak slid his jacket from his chair, pushed his arms in and patted the pockets. “I was making small talk with your mother while I was waitin’ for my coffee. She’s runnin’ around like a chicken with her head cut off, worried the doc won’t like her rigatoni.” He pulled out his keys. “I told her not to worry- she can bring the leftovers in on Monday.”

“Okay, first, I told her not to worry. Second, I’m so glad she blabs everything to everyone.” Seeing Korsak good-naturedly shrug, she blew out her frustration. “See you Monday.”

Frost waited until Korsak entered the elevator before leaning back in his chair. Hands clasped casually over his belt, he said, “So, bringing the doc home to meet the family, huh?”

“Not you, too,” she warned, though her pointed finger did little to wipe the smile off his face. 

“I’m just sayin’.”

“Uh-huh. And if you want be able to keep sayin’, you’d better zip it. God, can I not have one thing to myself?”

The grin disappeared. “Hey, I’m sorry. You know I don’t mean anything by it.”

She mentally chastised herself for the outburst. “Not sure where the whiny teenager came from.”

“Mothers have that ability,” Frost replied, accepting her unspoken apology.

“Yeah.” Silence stretched between them and neither one made a move to leave. She knew she owed him more than a one word reply. “It’s no different than me inviting you over for Sunday dinner.” His eyebrow barely had time to raise before she looked up at the ceiling and said, “Okay, it’s different. Or is it? I don’t even know what _it_ is.”

“I guess it’s whatever you want it to be.” To give more weight to the truism, he said, “It won’t be easy, but I’m kinda gettin’ the impression you don’t do ‘easy’.”

“Oh, really?” she replied, bobbing her head in understanding. “So you’re saying I do things the hard way?”

He grinned. “I’m sayin’ you don’t strike me as the kind of person who gives up easily.” 

She glanced down at her hands, the scars still stark white against her olive skin. When she looked up, she only saw patient eyes. “Listen to you, Dear Abby. So why are you single?”

He stood and brushed down his tie. “And deny the rest of world all of this?”

His outstretched arms and cocky smirk only made her shake her head. “Get out. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Enjoy your dinner.” He winked and was quick enough to evade the ball of paper thrown at his back.

…..

Downstairs, Maura was also calling it a day. Knowing the knife results wouldn’t be in until early next week, and satisfied the 3 other open cases were all at their proper stages of investigation, she turned off her light and locked her door. With a quick goodbye to Susie Chang, she stepped onto the elevator, then into the parking garage. She briefly closed her eyes at the cool air that touched her face before engaging her car’s automatic starter. Her Louboutons clicked across the concrete, the only noise in the quiet garage. About 8 feet away from the car, a piece of paper under the wiper caught her eye. Curious, she unlocked the door and reached for the folded note.

_‘Have a great weekend!_

_-J.’_

Maura’s smile was a mix of pleasure and confusion. While it was nice that Jane would leave the note, Maura couldn’t quite figure out why, when they were going to see each other on Sunday. Shrugging away the feeling, she folded the note twice and carefully slid it into her purse, took the car out of ‘park’ and merged into the Boston traffic.

…..

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

…..

‘Jeans’ had been the answer when Maura had asked what she should wear to the dinner, not only because it was the truth, but because she secretly got a kick out of wondering what the always-put-together Medical Examiner would do. Seeing her standing in the doorway, clad in form fitting white jeans, Jane would gladly admit her plan spectacularly backfired... if only she could find her voice.

“Jane?” Maura asked, mistaking Jane’s silent admiration for judgment. “I chose wrong, didn’t I? You said ‘jeans’, and naturally I-”

“You’re perfect,” she blurted out, then squeezed her eyes shut at her traitorous brain. “I mean, the jeans are perfect, and since you’re in them, I guess that makes you perfect. Which is why I said that.” 

For the first time in ages, Jane was thrilled to see her mother approach.

“Oh, look at you!” Angela beamed. “You look wonderful! Very chic.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Rizzoli.” The older woman tilted her head and raised her brow. “I mean, Angela.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard. Why don’t you come into the kitchen. The boys are out back playing football.”

She put her arm around Maura’s shoulder, guiding her to the kitchen and leaving Jane to berate herself. _‘I guess that makes you perfect. Which is why I said that’?? Am I 12?_ She took a deep breath. “Just be normal.”

“You might wanna start by not talkin’ to yourself, Sis.”

The voice made her jump. With one hand on her chest, she used the other to punch Tommy in the shoulder. 

“Ow!” he protested, rubbing the target. “Whadja do that for?”

“For sneaking up on me. You’re lucky I don’t have my gun.” Her heart rate slowly returned to normal. “I thought you were in the back with Frankie and Pop.”

“Had to use the lil’ boys’ room,” he shrugged. “And Ma always lets me sneak a little bit of dessert. Who’s got ya talkin’ to yourself?”

“Nobody,” she lied, walking to the kitchen. Despite her temporary frustration with herself, she grinned when she saw the activity. “Looks like Pop and Frankie beat you to it.”

“Hey!” he objected. “That cannoli’s mine.”

Frank Sr. looked up from the dessert plate. “You think we were gonna fall for that bathroom excuse, Tommy? Schmuck.”

“Besides,” the younger Frankie said, filling his face, “we can’t play with 2 people.”

Angela lightly slapped the back of Frankie’s head. “Manners! Maura, this is my youngest; Tommy, this is Dr. Maura Isles.”

Maura extended her hand and widened her smile. “Very nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, me, too,” he blurted out. “I mean, you. Nice to meet you, too.” He leaned into his sister and from the corner of his mouth whispered, “I totally get it now.”

Jane was grateful he didn’t say more, fearing she’d have to explain what ‘it’ was. Again, it was her mother who brought everything around to the purpose at hand. 

“You boys stop eating that dessert. You’ll ruin your dinner.” She slapped them away. Passing over a beer from the nearby fridge, she pushed her husband into the living room and handed her sons some cutlery. “Set the table.”

“I’ll put the extra chair beside Jane’s,” Tommy told his mother, covertly winking at Jane.

“I’ll help you with the food, Ma.”

Angela tutted. “You go sit with our guest. Shoo.”

Jane didn’t need to be told twice, and over Frankie’s objection, she led Maura to the table and sat down, avoiding Tommy’s grin. 

“How are you doing?” Jane asked her. “I know we can get loud.”

Maura shook her head. “I like it. It’s very…” Her voice trailed off, the word eluding her.

“Crazy?” Jane suggested.

Laughter spilled from Maura’s lips. “No. More like, ‘normal’. I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but it’s very comforting.”

“We’ll see what you’re saying by the end of the night.” Jane’s warning was a playful one. 

Maura looked at her with mirth and warmth in her eyes. “Thank you so much for inviting me, Jane.” 

“Alright,” Angela loudly announced, “dinner!” She barely got the word out before the males descended upon the table.

…..

Jane looked down at her lap, then to Maura’s. “How do you wear white jeans to an Italian dinner and come out of it looking like that, when I look like this?” She pointed to the tomato sauce splotches on her jeans.

“It’s because I wear the white jeans,” Maura explained.

The logic became clear. “You’re less of a slob if you wear white.” Tommy snorted into his cannoli and Jane shot him a look. “Not that you’re a slob,” she quickly corrected.

“And I’m not sure wearing white would stop you from bein’ one,” Frankie joked. The smile fell from his face upon the impact of Jane’s foot to his shin. “Ow!”

“Well, I don’t own white pants, so I guess we’ll never know,” Jane shrugged, settling the matter.

Angela stood and began clearing the dishes. “I wish you’d expand your wardrobe, just a little.”

Jane had a retort ready, but remembered what Frost has said about needing to up her wardrobe game. “Maybe I will.” The very suggestion of Jane trying something new brought a shocked silence to the table. “What? I can shop.”

Oblivious to the reaction, or perhaps because of it, Maura said, “I would love to take you shopping. My treat. As a thank you for tonight.”

“Thank you, Maura.” Jane looked around the table, as if to say ‘Ha!’

“And on that note,” Frank said, collecting his beer. “Game’s about to start.”

…..

While her family revelled in the Patriots’ victory, Jane walked Maura to the door.

“If you never wanted to do this again, I would totally understand.”

Maura’s eyes widened. “I loved it.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Not at all. Jane, I know you didn’t believe me earlier, but ‘normal’ is a wonderful thing.” She paused to gather her thoughts; it was Jane’s quiet patience that encouraged her to continue. “All my life, I’ve felt I’ve been on display in some way. Scrutinized and examined. Academically, no one could believe someone so young could be so intelligent.” 

Jane held back a smile. A comment like that from anyone else would have gotten a sarcastic retort in return, but Jane not only knew Maura was telling the truth, she was telling it in an honest way, free of arrogance.

“Professionally,” Maura went on, “no one wants to believe a woman could get to where I am without help. And personally, well…”

“No one wants to look past beauty,” she finished for her.

“You understand.”

Jane couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I don’t. But I get it, if that makes sense.” She stepped closer, skirting the edge of Maura’s personal space. When she didn’t object, Jane dared to lean a fraction nearer and touched Maura’s wrist. “You’re free to come over whenever you want. Especially after dazzling Pop with 50 years of Patriots history.”

Maura wrinkled her nose. “I have a tendency of talking too much when I’m nervous.”

Shaking her head, Jane said, “I’m serious. Did you see his face light up whenever you started talking about Gino Cappelletti? He was a teenager again.”

“He did seem pleased,” she admitted.

“Pleased? I’m this close to being ousted as favourite daughter.” They shared a laugh and a long stretch of silence. Jane looked down and realized she was still holding Maura’s wrist. While she pondered whether or not to let go, whether or not to speak, Maura’s phone rang and they both jumped. A breathy laugh dispelled the nerves in the air. 

“Sorry,” Maura said, pulling out the offending device. “Dr. Isles.”

Jane could only hear half the conversation, but it was clearly work related. She waited for her own phone to ring, but it never came. Maura closed the conversation and explained why Jane didn’t receive a similar call.

“Double-homicide in Lowell. Their medical examiner is on vacation. I’ve got to leave first thing in the morning.”

Though Jane knew Maura’s responsibilities stretched beyond Boston, she was rarely reminded how spoiled they were to have her so close. The phone call made her frown despite all common sense. 

“We’re right in the middle of a case.”

“And Lowell is less than an hour away. I’ll likely be back tomorrow night. Surely you can do without me for one day.”

Considering the surprising unveiling of her developing feelings for Maura, the comment seemed a loaded one, though Jane knew she had been careful in keeping her confusions to herself. 

“I guess.” She drew out the word in dramatic fashion, making Maura laugh. The silence stretched between them again, and Jane didn’t know how to make it last. She didn’t want Maura to go, but knew she couldn’t stay. “Back to work tomorrow, huh? I hope the weekend was good at least.”

“The weekend was great,” Maura assured her. “Just like you said.” 

Jane frowned. “I said what now?”

“Your note. On my car windshield. It said, ‘Have a great weekend, J’.” It didn’t take much for Maura to realize she had made a mistake. “You didn’t leave it.”

Shaking her head, Jane said, “Nope. Sorry.”

“That’s odd.”

“Maybe you have a secret admirer,” Jane teased.

Maura rolled her eyes in a manner she had learned from Jane. “If they’re secret, how will I ever know?” 

Jane admired the logic even if it touched on her own predicament. “Good call. You want me to look into it? It’s what I do, after all.”

“And you’re very good at it.” The light banter was new for them, but they were enjoying it. Smiling, Maura continued, “However, it’s probably nothing. But thank you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“You should-”

“I should-”

“Go,” Jane finished for them both. “You’ve got an early morning, and if I don’t get in that kitchen and help Ma, I’ll starve the rest of the week.”

“I see. You know, I could always take you to dinner sometime.” The directness of the words caught them both off-guard. Maura quickly backpedalled. “I mean, if you’re interested.” More backpedalling. “In dinner. If you’re interested in dinner.”

Though part of her felt sorry for Maura’s discomfort, another was relieved she wasn’t the only one with foot-in-mouth disease. “I _am_ interested.” She didn’t bother clarifying, curious to see Maura’s reaction. She was a better poker player than Jane would have given her credit for. The only tell was a miniscule twitch of her lips.

“Good. I look forward to making plans when I get back.” Just like that, the self-assured medical examiner was back. “Susie Chang may have some results for you in the afternoon. We can discuss them over a drink, if you like.”

“Okay.”

“Great.”

The only sound came from the TV in the living room down the hall.

“You should-”

“I should-”

They laughed.

“Go.” This time, it was Maura to finish the sentence. “I’ll call you when I get back from Lowell.”

“Text me when you get home tonight.” When Maura raised an eyebrow, Jane shrugged. “Humour me. It’s learned behaviour from a hovering mother for 30 years.”

Maura agreed with a nod, and Jane watched until she got in the car and was out of sight. Closing the door at last, Jane leaned against it and wondered where it was all going. 

“Janie! Do you want this rigatoni or not?”

Her mother’s voice broke through the introspection, and considering she wasn’t the type of person to spend much time on such a thing, Jane figured it was for the best, but not before checking to make sure her phone was on.

…..


	7. Chapter 7

…..

“Good morning, Detective Rizzoli!” The barista lowered her voice shyly. “Detective Frost.”

“Isabelle,” he smiled back.

“Isabelle, how is it you’re so god damn cheerful this early in the morning?” Jane grumbled not unkindly.

“I work in a coffee shop. My caffeine levels are so high, I’ll be dead for days before I finally stop twitching.”

The comment pulled a smile from Jane. “Dark humour at 8 in the morning.” She mimed shooting a gun and sleepily winked. “I like that.”

“Speaking of morbid subjects, are you picking up for Dr. Isles?” Isabelle made a face. “That didn’t come out right.”

“Not today; she’s in Lowell. Got called in on a double-homicide.”

“Wow,” she said. “Sometimes I forget what you guys do.”

Frost touched his forehead with a forefinger. “Just keepin’ the streets safe, Miss.”

Jane slowly turned to her partner, then thrust the drink into his chest. “C’mon. Pardner.”

The two left without noticing the woman in the corner who had taken a pointed interest in their conversation.

…..

“So with Dr. Isles away, what’s our next step?”

The partners entered the bullpen and dropped into their respective chairs. Monitors flashed to life and the day began. 

Jane held her face over her cup, letting the scent waft into her system. “You know, we can work without the M.E holding our hand.”

“Yeah, but do we want to?”

She cracked an eye open at his playful tone. “When are you asking Isabelle out?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” He squinted at his computer as if he had just found something incredibly interesting.

“Uh-huh. ‘Just keepin’ the streets safe, Miss’,” she mimicked.

“I didn’t know you were awake for that.”

“Ha ha. Anyway, Maura said Susie Chang might have prelims on the blood from the knife. Depending what the geek squad finds, we might have something to do today.”

Almost on cue, Susie emerged from the elevator. The appearance was so synchronized with Jane’s words that the detectives looked at each other in awe, before bursting out laughing. For her part, the bullpen was such a foreign place that she entered the room like a fawn stepping on ice. Her eyes darted around the place, her skittishness quickly making room for her curiosity.

Out of the corner of her mouth, Jane whispered, “You ever feel like a specimen under a microscope, Frost?” 

Susie must have heard her, because she snapped out of her reverie and looked slightly bashful. “Sorry, I’ve just never been up here.” She felt the eyes of other detectives in the room and felt the need to apologize again. “Sorry.”

“Next time you escape from the morgue, bring doughnuts. The stereotype is real.”

Susie caught Jane’s subtle invitation to return, and the inclusion was rewarded with a bright smile. “Thank you, Detective.” They looked at each other for several seconds until Jane softly coughed. “Oh! Right!” She raised the folder in her hand. “Preliminaries on the blood. It _is_ Rachel Legano’s. And, something else- we found an unusual amount of graphite, clay and wax trace around the blade.” She handed the file to Jane and stepped back, looking pleased.

She skimmed the paper out of habit rather than distrust. She knew the lab was one of the best in the country, and it reflected in the number of arrests it helped the department make. 

Satisfied with the results, as she knew she would be, she looked up from the folder. “Good job, Chang.”

Susie beamed from the casual use of her surname. “Any time, Rizzoli!” Her thumbs-up sign dropped quickly at Jane’s arched eyebrow. “I mean, of course, Detective Rizzoli. I’ll just go now. Back to the morgue. If you need me.” She practically bowled over Korsak in her haste to get to the elevator. 

“Whoa!” He watched the woman’s hurried exit. “What was that all about?”

“Jane just gave her The Arch of Deadly Intent.”

Korsak nodded. “This one?” His brow rose.

“Nah, that’s The Arch of ‘Who Farted’.” He ignored Jane’s indignant grunt. “It’s this one.” In a move that secretly impressed her, his brow created a perfect curve over a judgmental eye. 

“Oh, that one.” Korsak nodded sagely. “No wonder she ran out like a scalded cat.”

“Both of you aren’t nearly as funny as you think you are.” She held up the folder. “Now can we get back to work?”

Korsak sat behind his desk. “Whatcha got?”

“Prelims on the knife. Blood belongs to the victim.”

“So we’re arrestin’ Raines, right?” Frost asked.

While she appreciated his enthusiasm, she knew the information was only the start of a longer process. “Blood could be incidental,” she told him. “She was his girlfriend. Plenty of reason for her blood to be on the knife.”

“Defense attorney will be all over that,” Korsak agreed.

“So what do we do?”

Jane shrugged at Frost’s question. “Dig deeper into the relationship. Find someone who overheard him threaten her or saw them get into an argument. Something that gives him motive.”

Frost pondered her words. “I’m still tryin’ to figure out the Jell-O.”

“Maybe that’s the key,” Korsak suggested. “Find out why there was Jell-O around the wounds, find the killer.”

Though she nodded in agreement, she said, “Gelatin. We start focusing on Jell-O and we’ll go off-track.”

“Can I still call it Jell-O?” Frost asked.

Jane rolled her eyes. “If you want to imagine Jell-O around 17 gaping stab wounds, be my guest.” 

“You’re lookin’ a little green around the gills,” Korsak nonchalantly observed when Frost swallowed hard.

Jane snapped her fingers. “Maybe it was green Jell-O!”

Frost held up a hand and shook his head. “Okay, okay. It’s gelatin.” He swallowed again. “So now what? What’s with the trace they found?”

“Graphite, clay and wax,” Jane repeated from memory.

“Sounds like a pencil to me,” Korsak replied. “Did you know, pencils don’t actually contain lead? The first pencils were made from a graphite deposit somewhere in England in the 1500s. People thought it was lead, hence ‘lead pencils’.” He puffed out his chest and awaited the accolades from his stunned co-workers. When none came, he deflated. “If I had a nice dress and heels on, I bet I woulda got a standing ovation.”

“Wear that tomorrow and we’ll see,” Frost smirked.

“Whatever,” he groused. “Try to learn somethin’ and you get nothin’ in return.”

“Maura would be very proud of you,” Jane praised. He huffed but sat down, appeased. She picked up a pencil and began bouncing the eraser on her desk. “Graphite.” A few twirls between her fingers. “A pencil. A knife. Jell-O.”

“Gelatin,” Frost corrected her. 

“Gelatin.” She gazed up to the ceiling, as if the answers were in the tiles, merely waiting to be decoded. 

“I gave you the bit about the graphite,” Korsak said. “I got nothin’ else.”

Jane blew back a tendril of hair. “Fine. Looks like it’s back to boring old detective work. Frost, you got a list of Raines’ old girlfriends?”

“Literally,” he said, holding up a piece of paper. “Literally a list.”

“Great. He’s not much of a weatherman. Let’s see what kind of boyfriend he is.”

…..

Though she would have been well within her rights to go directly home after returning from Lowell, the autopsy had been straightforward enough that Maura had enough time to stop by the precinct. With the memory of Sunday’s dinner still in her mind, something itched in her to see Jane again. A detour to the coffee shop would give her the perfect excuse. 

A sinful aroma greeted her as she stepped in, and the barista smiled at her appearance. He wasn’t Isabelle, but was more than happy to make her drink just so, and she made sure to order for all three detectives. While she waited, she glanced around the bustling shop. Though the mornings were when she visited most, there were still a handful of regulars she recognized, students and suits who started and ended their day on caffeine and free wifi. A woman in the corner lifted her head from her book and raised her hand in greeting. Though Maura couldn’t immediately place a memory to the face, she offered a small smile and returned the gesture.

“Your order, Miss.”

Maura turned to the voice. “Thank you.” Collecting the tray of drinks, she turned again to leave and nearly bumped into the woman with the book. “Oh!”

“That was almost twice in five days.” Her smile was wide, yet Maura stopped from giving one of her own.

“Twice in…” Now the memory came to her: coffee on her dress. “I nearly spilled my coffee on you.”

The woman blew it off. “Accidents happen. I felt kinda bad, hence me buying your coffee the next day.”

Maura nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Joy.” Seeing Maura’s expression, the woman said, “My name. I’m Joy. I’d shake your hand, but they look like they’re full. How was Lowell?”

The change in subject as well as the fact that a complete stranger knew of her whereabouts that day knocked Maura’s brain off-balance, though it was beginning to piece things together. The free coffee. The note. _J._ For ‘Joy’. Now Lowell. “I… it was, it was fine. You knew?” She tried to make it sound casual even as her stomach clenched like an early warning system. 

“Oh, you hear all kinds of things in these coffee shops,” Joy replied blithely. “You have a very exciting job!”

Dumbly, Maura nodded again. “Yes. And I should get back to it.” She attempted a smile, forcing her mouth to curl up. 

“Yeah, of course! I should let you get back to it.”

The phrasing settled uneasily between them, though it appeared only Maura seemed to sense it. Without eye contact or a parting word, Maura whisked past her oblivious admirer and was nearly out the door when she heard the woman cheerfully call out, “I’ll see you!”

…..

By the time she got back to the station, Maura had nearly convinced herself she had overreacted to the entire situation. _Three very innocent things are just that,_ she told herself. She was at fault for the first incident, so that didn’t even count. And the woman was right- one was able to hear all manner of conversations in small spaces. How much did she reveal to Isabelle, forgetting it was an open environment? The note was another matter, because it would mean knowledge of her vehicle, but Maura waved it off as an easy find. Separately, everything could be explained away. _But together,_ her brain whispered. 

Of course she had had admirers in the past, both men and women, some she pursued and others she denied. Her money and her looks drew many to her, and while her social skills were too open to be entirely comfort, that same openness when it came to sex was icing on the cake. She was nothing if not confident in that regard. But when she replayed the moment in her mind, she felt nothing sexual in the exchange. Joy didn’t attempt to engage her in a physical sense; there was no arm touching, no stepping over personal boundaries, no lingering looks. It was as if she was content to merely be in Maura’s presence, and yet it felt as unsettling as if she had done those things.

The elevator reached the bullpen and she tamped down her thoughts.

“Hey, Dr. Isles!” Frost greeted with a smile.

“Barry,” she said, already feeling better. “I come bearing gifts.”

Jane stood immediately and met her halfway. “Hey. I didn’t think you’d be back today.”

She firmly held the paper tray while Jane twisted out the cups. “It was quite cut and dried. Though it did turn out to be homicide-suicide, which I suppose makes it easier for the detectives.”

“Wish we had something to make it easier for the detectives,” Korsak groused, savouring the coffee’s warmth.

“Did the preliminaries not come in?” she asked, surprised it would take Susie so long.

Jane saw her disbelief. “Chang brought them up first thing. The blood does belong to the victim. Found some graphite around the knife, too.”

Maura pondered the information. “But it gave you nothing to go on. I’m sorry.”

Jane returned to her desk and silently encouraged Maura to follow. Using her foot, she rolled a nearby chair closer and invited her to sit. She let her eyes linger on legs that demurely crossed at the knee before bringing herself back to the conversation. 

“We didn’t expect it to. Short of it having the killer’s bloody thumbprint on the handle, it was only ever going to be part of the evidence, never the smoking gun.”

“So what have you done today?”

Frost lifted up the list he had shown Jane, except now, names were crossed off. “Going through Gary Raines’ old girlfriends.”

Maura’s eyes widened. “He had that many?”

Frost nodded, unimpressed. “That’s what _I_ said.”

“Don’t be jel-”

Jane pointed at Korsak. “What did I say about that word? Anyway, while they had some really descriptive names for him - _really_ descriptive - they’re all alive and unthreatened. So back to square one.”

“Which is?” Maura asked.

“Go back to the other two boyfriends,” she said. “The knife’s tempting, but might just be a coincidence after all.”

“In the meantime, comparison tests will be done between the knife and the wounds. I’ve no doubt Susie has been working on them all day,” Maura said with more than a little pride.

Jane grinned. “No doubt.”

Korsak downed the coffee and tipped the cup towards Maura. “Thanks, Doc. Just in time for me to go home and make another pot.”

Glancing at her watch, Jane held up a finger, silencing the group. Her head bobbed four times, then she said, “5 o’clock!”

“I’m gone!” Korsak announced.

Maura rose while the other two gathered their things. “What are your plans this evening, detective?”

Jane patted her pockets and tossed her keys into the air. “Pizza. Beer. Hot shower. Maybe in that order. You?”

“Oh, most likely finishing up the paperwork on the Lowell case.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

They looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak. Frost shook his head. 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“‘Nite, Frost,” Jane said, holding Maura’s gaze.

“Goodnight, Barry,” Maura echoed.

He shook his head again. “‘Nite, you two.”

With the exception of a few stragglers left in the bullpen, they were the last two remaining, neither wanting to leave, but neither finding a reason to stay. Jane gently clenched her hands, squeezing her palms as she was wont to do whenever she was nervous. Her eyes cast to the floor, her brain failing to find the right words. Maura looked on with hesitant expectation, uncertain where the fork in the road began for them. It was her own reservation that stopped her from seeing Jane’s.

“I should go,” Maura said at last.

“Yeah,” Jane replied. “I mean, yeah, me, too. Let me walk you to the elevator, since, you know, I’m going there, too.” She cringed inwardly at her words.

If Maura noticed, she didn’t say. “Thank you.”

The ride to the garage was in silence, though not an entirely uncomfortable one. When the doors opened to the underground parking, they paused on the concrete.

“I’m this way,” Jane said, jerking her thumb to the left.

“And I’m that way,” Maura bantered back.

“Yeah.” Before the silence could overtake them again, Jane quickly reached out and touched Maura’s hand, surprising them both. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Just as quickly, the touch was gone and so was she.

…..


	8. Chapter 8

…..

Despite the warmth Jane’s touch had sent through her body, it faded in the detective’s absence, and the uneasiness from earlier returned on the drive home. She found herself checking her rearview mirror more often than required, despite not seeing anything to arouse her suspicions. She wished she had taken a better look at Joy, but even the conversation in the coffee shop left little for her to remember. Average height, reddish brown hair, brown eyes. She would be embarrassed to tell Jane how little she could recall. And now, every face and yet none could have been Joy. She drove around her block twice, even though she knew if the woman wanted to find where she lived, it wouldn’t be difficult. She was a public figure - little was kept private. Pulling into the cobblestone driveway, she put the car in park and took a deep breath. 

It was over the hood of the car that she saw her, across the street, standing on the corner, like it was the most natural place in the world for her to be. She raised a hand in greeting which Maura ignored. Quickly grabbing her bag from the passenger seat, Maura all but jogged to her door despite her best efforts to remain calm. The door barely had time to close before Maura engaged the locks and set the outside security system. She turned and rested against the barricade, feeling safe against its heavy wood.

She just about screamed when her phone rang.

With a shaking hand, she pulled the device from her purse and forced her eyes open.

_Unknown number_

She stopped herself from throwing the phone to the floor, willing her heart to slow down. _It could be anyone,_ she told herself. It was her work phone, not her private one. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she tentatively brought the phone to her ear and slid the call button to the right.

“Hello?”

“Dr. Isles? It’s Barry. Barry Frost.”

She stifled a happy sob. “Barry. It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Everything okay, Dr. Isles?”

Holding a hand over her heart, she nodded. “Yes, it’s fine. What can I do for you?”

“Well, I don’t mean to call you at home, but I got to thinking about the Legano case, and I had a crazy idea I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Me?” she asked. “Not Detective Rizzoli?”

“I kinda wanted to get your opinion first. I figured if you believed me, it’d be easier to convince Jane.”

She felt the meaning behind his words in a flush that spread across her cheeks. It was the first time Maura considered the strange new turn in her relationship with Jane wasn’t as hidden as she had thought.

“I…”

“I’m still kinda the rookie,” he said, hearing her embarrassment through the phone. “So I just wanna make sure I don’t make an idiot of myself. You seem to be the kind of person to be a bit more forgiving of that. Not that Jane isn’t a forgiving person!” They both laughed. “It’s just a theory and I don’t want to waste her time.”

“So you’ll waste mine?” Maura gently teased, falling into his comfortable manner.

“Damn, I am just not saying things right, am I?”

Her relieved laughter wafted down the line. “I would love you to waste my time, Barry. What’s your theory?”

“Well, if it’s okay, it’s something I really need to show you.”

She could hear the inference in his voice. “Did you want to come over? I could put on a fresh pot of coffee.”

“It won’t be any trouble?”

“None at all, Barry. I’ll see you soon.”

Though fear still niggled the edges of her brain, her curiosity got the better of her.

_What in the world could he want to show me?_

…..

She repeatedly stopped herself from pushing aside the curtain and looking out the window, knowing there was nothing she could do if Joy was still out there, and not wanting to give her any reason to feel rewarded for her efforts if she was. Still, she was so focused on the woman outside, she almost forgot about the man on the way over, so when his knuckles rapped on the door, she jumped in fright. Shaking fingers keyed the security pad and unbolted the lock before turning the handle. He must have seen something in her face, because his smile immediately fell.

“What’s wrong?”

Her eyes darted furtively over his shoulder, into the fading light. When she found nothing, she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or if it only compounded her fear. His words finally reached her ears and she looked into warm brown eyes full of concern.

“Nothing,” she replied, and instantly felt the consequences of her lie. The hives always hit her neck first, and she tried desperately to keep them at bay by fanning them with her hand. “Vasovagal syncope,” she said. “Increased heart rate and lowered blood pressure which may lead to fainting,” she went on. “Caused by extreme emotional distress when I lie.”

He reached for her elbow and led her to the closest chair. Kneeling in front of her, he asked, “Should I get you something?”

She shook her head. “No, I just need to tell the truth. There _is_ something wrong.” She closed her eyes and felt her body right itself. After a few deep breaths, she said, “I’m sorry.”

His smile waved away her apology. “You want to tell me what it is?” he asked gently.

“No.” This time, there were no threats of hives. She knew her honesty was abrupt, and she felt like she owed him something of an explanation, but she wasn’t quite ready to get into it. She said as much. “Let’s talk about it after you tell me what you came to show me. I have to confess, I’m very curious.”

The mirth in her voice convinced him to let it go, for now. 

“Okay, so the gelatin. I have a theory about that. It’s gonna sound really crazy, but,” he held up a bag, “I brought a few things. Thought maybe we could test it out.”

She peered into the opened bag. There didn’t seem to be a running theme for the items she found. Her eyes looked up, encouraging him to continue.

“We’ll have to use your kitchen, if that’s okay.”

“Fortunately, that’s where the coffee is,” she replied. 

With an inviting smile, she turned and walked past the living room to the open kitchen. Frost followed and took a moment to take in the unfamiliar house. Based on what she wore to work, he knew the doctor had some kind of money, but it wasn’t until he mentally put a price tag on everything he saw that he realized how much. It was in the small details; she wasn’t garish with her wealth, but he was sure the katana above the fireplace wasn’t store bought.

“Mid-16th century,” she said, seeing his interest. “Are you familiar with Japanese history?”

“Just what I’ve learned watching anime,” he admitted ruefully.

“Yes, I remember you mentioning something to Jane about Gundam 0080?”

His expression opened at the memory. “That was almost six months ago. I’m surprised you remember.”

She offered a sheepish shrug. “It was an opportunity to learn something of my new colleagues. I bought ‘War in the Pocket’,” she said, much to his amazement. “I’d love to sit down with you sometime and watch it again. I’m sure I missed some of the references.”

“Wow,” he beamed. “Yeah, yeah we should do that.” 

She placed a coffee on a coaster and gestured to a stool at the kitchen island. “So tell me about this theory.”

“Okay. So, I was bored at work and got sucked into a YouTube wormhole of true crime.” He backtracked. “It was on my lunch. I wasn’t on company time.” 

His defence made her smile. 

“Go on.”

He placed the bag on the marble top along with his laptop sleeve. Lifting the lid, he only had to wait a moment before typing something Maura couldn’t see. 

“You know how they recommend things on the side? They recommended this.”

He turned the screen towards her and pressed ‘enter’. It didn’t take long for the proverbial shoe to drop. Frost could tell the exact moment, because Maura’s mouth dropped open slightly until it curled into a smile. 

“That, that is-” She couldn’t find the word, because there were too many.

“‘Ingenious’?” Frost offered. “‘Clever’? ‘Freakishly devious’?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Yes to all of them.”

“Keep watching.”

She couldn’t tear her eyes away even if she wanted. Wrapped up in a simple 11-minute video was the blueprint on how to make a perfect knife. Out of gelatin. She would have laughed if the implication in their own case wasn’t so glaringly obvious. And if the possibility wasn’t bad enough-

“He eats it,” Frost said, unable to contain himself.

“I believe at this point I’m supposed to say, ‘Spoiler alert’.”

“Sorry.”

She could only shake her head. “Now I understand the contents in your bag, as well as your hesitancy in bringing this to Detective Rizzoli.”

“Yeah, wasn’t sure how she’d react to me bringing the Jell-O knife theory to work. Besides, I kinda wanna try it. You think we could?” he asked. For a brief moment, the grown detective was replaced by an excited 10-year old.

Maura couldn’t help but get caught up in his excitement. “Yes! Let’s lay everything out.”

He had brought everything they needed with the exception of the air purifier. He took a chance that if anyone would have one, it would be Maura, and he wasn’t disappointed. They stepped back and surveyed their tools and were pleased with what they saw. 

“We’ll have to make due with the wetstone you brought as well as the one I have, but I think this is everything,” Maura said. “Shall we get to work?”

The video’s instructions were simple, if not somewhat time consuming, with the gelatin setting taking up most of it. While they waited, they sat at the kitchen island and chatted about work, fashion, and the occasional personal story. A thump caught Frost’s attention. He looked around for the noise but couldn’t find the source. Maura pointed down.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “What is that??”

Maura stood from her stool and went to the fridge. Returning, she knelt and offered a strawberry to the hard shell creature. 

“Bass, meet Detective Barry Frost, Barry meet Bass. He’s from the Centrochelys sulcata family- an African spurred tortoise.”

He slid from his seat to kneel beside her. “Can I-” He struggled to find the word. “Pet him?”

Smiling, she said, “Of course.”

The shell was bumpy and cool under his touch. Maura handed him a strawberry, and he carefully held it out as he had seen her do. The tortoise gently snapped it out of his fingers. 

“That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said once they returned to their seats.

“He’s been my best friend for years. I know it sounds silly.”

“Nah,” he replied. “We all need friends.”

“Yes,” she agreed with a smile, “I suppose we do.”

As he watched the lumbering reptile slowly crawl away, Frost thought it might be the right time to bring up another subject.

“Did you want to tell me what was going on earlier?”

Though she’d all but promised to talk about it, now she wasn’t sure she could. There was still a part of her that scolded her for overreacting, that blamed it on an overactive imagination. She knew she already had a reputation as being the ‘weird’ one; she had carried it with her ever since childhood. Voicing her fears would only reinforce that image, when all she wanted to do, especially with a certain detective and her friends, was fit in.

“I won’t judge you,” Frost said.

The fact he read her mind didn’t startle her. In fact, it brought a kind of comfort. In the short time she’d known him, she could say for certain he was one of the least judgmental people she knew. She gazed into her cup.

“I think someone is following me.”

His mug stopped at his lips. Frowning, he didn’t ask how she knew or was she sure, but rather, “How long?”

His immediate belief opened the floodgates and she told him every worry she had about the woman who seemed to know too much about her.

“She was out on the street?” Frost asked incredulously. “Doc, that’s a step away from being on your doorstep. You need to tell Jane.”

“No!” Maura blurted. “Don’t tell Jane. Please.” She knew her words would only cause confusion, so she tried to explain. “I don’t want her to worry. I don’t want-” her voice stopped before she could make a confession.

“You don’t want to wreck whatever’s goin’ on between you,” Frost finished.

She blinked at his summary. “You’re a very good detective.”

His smile was broad. “Yeah, I like to think so. Gettin’ there, anyway. But I know an even better detective who’d be really pissed off at you goin’ through this alone.” 

“You don’t think I’m losing my mind?”

He sifted through what she had told him and shook his head. “What do they say? Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern? And showing up on your street, just standin’ on the corner like that? No, I don’t think you’re losing your mind, Doc. The real question is, what are you going to do about it?”

She rubbed her forehead with an unsteady hand. “I don’t know. If I get a restraining order, am I giving credence to her attention? If I don’t, am I only encouraging it?”

“You’re not the one doing anything, okay? Let’s get that straight first. Whatever she’s gonna do, that’s on her. Second, as useless as they can be, a restraining order starts a paper trail with the courts, in case things escalate.” He cringed inwardly at the picture he was painting, but he knew honesty would be the best policy. 

She was well aware of the limitations of restraining orders - for the determined, they were nothing more than an inconvenient obstacle. But she also knew he was right about establishing a file for potential legal reference. A worry line creased her brow. 

“I don’t want this to become public,” she said, knowing it wasn’t as simple as signing a piece of paper.

“You’re worried about the hearing.”

“I’m worried about standing in front of a judge and airing out private matters. My professional life keeps me in the public eye enough as it is. I’d rather not drag my personal life into it as well.”

He wasn’t going to argue; he could see the value in both sides of the argument. But there was one point he was absolutely certain of- “You need to tell Jane.”

Her gaze returned to her coffee, long gone cold. She had a hundred questions for the partner of the woman who had suddenly found a place in her life. She knew she should take advantage of the opportunity but didn’t know where to begin. Frost saw the conflict in her downcast eyes.

“I’m probably the wrong person to ask,” he said, reading her mind once more. “I didn’t come in to it much earlier than you. Hell, I only know about-” he refused to say Hoyt’s name, “what happened to her from the news and some guys at the precinct. But what I do know is, she’s startin’ to come out of that shell, and that’s because of you. I don’t question when good things happen.” 

The timer beeped, leaving her to set aside her conflicting thoughts.

…..

“If science had been this cool when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have had to take 11th grade chemistry twice. Of course,” he added slyly, “I didn’t have such an awesome teacher.”

She blushed at the compliment and slapped his arm. “Stop. Though, I can attest to the benefits of a good teacher.”

“You ever fail a class?” He burst out laughing when he saw her horrified expression. “Yeah, figured as much! Bet you were one of those accelerated grades student. How old were you when you went to university?”

“Sixteen,” she said without a hint of arrogance. “I fast-tracked four years of pre-med into three and was accepted into BCU at 19.”

Frost let out a low whistle. “Shit. I could barely remember the equation for photosynthesis.”

“H20+C02+light equals-”

“C6H1206,” they finished together. 

“Why do I remember that?” Frost asked incredulously. “Can’t remember where I put my damn phone, but I remember that.”

“The mind works in mysterious ways.” 

“Guess that explains that,” he said, pointing to the gelatin knife Maura held to the light.

She admired their handiwork. “The air purifier hardened the gelatin into something quite functional. The instructor in the video sharpened it for the purpose of making it into an actual knife. While I would like to follow his instructions to the letter, it would only be for my satisfaction. Our killer didn’t need to go into that much detail.”

“Our killer only needed to turn it into a weapon,” Frost finished.

“Exactly.”

He scratched his forehead. “So Jane was right in a way: Gary Raines’ knife wasn’t a clue at all.”

Maura pondered the conclusion. Tilting the knife back and forth, she watched the light bounce off the rough edges. Her eyebrows rose in realization. “Barry, how did we get this shape?”

His brows furrowed. “Uh, we traced one of your knives?” She didn’t have to wait long for him to put it together. “The graphite traces on Raines’ knife. The guy in the video traced a knife with a marker, but our killer traced it with a pencil. So Gary Raines’ _is_ our suspect.”

“I’m not entirely comfortable making that presumption,” she said. “I’m willing to admit he is _a_ suspect.”

Frost nodded, acknowledging his over enthusiasm. “Right, right. Okay.” He softly clapped his hands together. “This is good though, right?” 

“It’s very good.”

“All right! So we show Jane?”

“We show Jane.”

“I can’t wait to see her face! She’ll be all ‘What are you talking about, Frost?’” His exaggerated impersonation made Maura laugh. “Then I’ll be all,” he mimed pulling the knife from behind his back, “‘Boo-yah’.” He pretended to drop it, then did a little dance. “THEN, we’ll eat it!” Maura wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, that’s gross. We’ll show her how one could eat it.”

Maura liked that idea better. “Bring her down to the lab in the morning; we’ll do it there.”

He bounced on his toes like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve. “I gotta tell ya, Doc, I’m super excited.”

“Yes, I can tell.”

“Sorry, I just never get to be the one to break the case, you know? I’m still the new guy and Jane just has this sixth sense about things. It feels good to know I can bring something to the table.” He grinned. “Even if it is just a Jell-O knife.”

She admired his honesty. “She respects you more than you know, or you wouldn’t be her partner.”

He offered a bashful shrug. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still feels good.” Glancing at his watch, he said, “I should go. This has been a really good night. Thanks.”

“Any time.” They began gathering his things. “And remember what I said- I’d love for you to come over sometime.” She tilted her head towards her television. “I believe the term is ‘binge watching’.”

“I’d like that. And I hope you’ll remember what I said. About Jane. She respects _you_ more than you know, or you wouldn’t be her… whatever it is you two got goin’ on.” 

His wink softened his words and she couldn’t help but shake her head. It felt good to have told him, and more importantly, it felt good to have him as a friend. 

“Tomorrow,” she said.

He narrowed his eyes, looking for signs of hives, and when he found none, he nodded his approval. “Okay. In the meantime, I’ll take a quick look outside and you set that fancy alarm system I saw when I walked in the door.”

“I will.”

“Goodnight. Maura.”

His attempt at using her first name warmed her. “Goodnight, Barry.”

…..

A/N: The Jello knife is real, by the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oadf4KNYz-I


	9. Chapter 9

…..

“Okay, so I’m never looking at Jell-O the same ever again.” 

Jane watched Maura scoop out the resolidified gelatin from serving containers. 

“The guy makes one from pasta, too!” Frost gleefully informed her. “He boils it back down and eats-

Jane held up a hand. “Frost, I’m Italian. I don’t need or even want to know that.” 

She rolled back on her heels in the cool laboratory. Having been lured down by Frost’s mischievous secret and the private chance to see Maura, she hadn’t expected to find that the two of them had spent the evening sciencing together. She grinned at the idea of them bending over their experiment like the geeks she knew they were. Her grin fell when she saw Frost slurp a bite into his mouth. 

“Ewwww! We all touched that!”

“Boiling it back down to liquid form killed the bacteria, right, Doc?” He nonchalantly took another bite.

“Technically, yes,” Maura confirmed, “though I do appreciate Detective Rizzoli’s reservation.”

“Mmm-hmmm,” he said, finishing the serving with no reservations of his own. 

“Weirdo.” Bringing the subject back to the matter at hand, she asked, “So where do we go from here?”

“I’m afraid that’s your territory,” Maura answered. “I can only give you the facts as I know them.”

Jane leaned her head back. “Okay, so what are the facts as we know them?”

“Jell-O knife killed the victim.” Frost held up one finger. 

Jane silenced Maura with a look. She knew the official cause of death was suffocation and that Maura was a stickler for accuracy. Maura politely demurred. 

“Knife that was used as the template was found at Gary Raines’.” Another finger was held up. 

“Could be any knife,” Jane countered. 

Frost was not deterred. “Victim's blood found on the knife.” Another finger. 

“If we’re going with the Jell-O knife theory, the blood on the real knife means nothing,” Jane reminded him. 

He frowned and curled the third finger back into his fist. “Damn, Jane, the more we hash it out, the less we have to go on.”

She sympathized with his frustration. “That’s what detective work's all about, Frost. Do we have any other angle?” Both Frost and Maura remained silent. “Let’s stop focusing on Raines for a minute.” She began pacing the small room, pressing her palms together and examining her boots. “Instead of trying to find what Gary has in common with the knife and the Jell-O, what if he’s just another link to the killer?”

“So what do Gary, the knife and Jell-O have in common with the killer?” Maura asked.

“Exactly.” Jane stopped in her tracks and snapped her fingers. “Cynthia Parker.” 

“She was Gary’s previous girlfriend,” Maura said.

“She has expensive taste in knives,” Frost chimed in. 

“And who would know more about Jell-O than some Gordon Ramsay wannabe?” Jane finished.

“She’s also, according to Gary, batshit crazy.” Frost saw the looks the women gave him. “Hey, I’m just statin’ what I know.”

“Still,” Maura said, “it doesn’t give you much to work on. Everything we have is circumstantial.”

Jane agreed. “Yeah, but it gives us another angle to pursue. We’ll turn over her life the way we did with Raines. See what shakes out.”

With a fresh bit in his teeth, Frost said, “I’ll get started on the background check. Previous jobs, boyfriends.”

“I’ll meet you up there,” she told him.

Before leaving, he leaned into Maura and mock whispered, “Just because Sherlock Jane here solved the case in 2 minutes doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy working with you last night.”

She smiled at his ruse. “We’ll get the next one, Barry.”

“Good luck with that!” Jane shouted at his retreating back. “You and Frost seem to have gotten close.” It was a genuine comment without a trace of jealousy. 

“It was his idea. He’s a very good detective.”

“He’s getting there,” she agreed. “Still, I’m glad you’re making friends.”

“Me, too.”

“Oh, speaking of friends, Isabelle asked about you this morning. Said you didn’t come in this morning.”

“No, no I didn’t.” Maura stammered slightly, wondering how far she could play the part before her hives broke out. Despite Frost’s assurances last night, the bright light of day nibbled at her confidence. When she agreed to tell Jane her fears, she was certain there was something _to_ fear. But now, like Frost’s circumstantial evidence regarding the knife, her own checklist seemed to erode under further scrutiny. 

“I won’t tell Isabelle you’re cheating on her.” Jane smirked at the coffee cup sitting on Maura’s desk. 

“Thank you.” How could she explain that the very idea of returning to the coffee shop set her nerves on edge?

Jane narrowed her eyes. “Everything okay?”

She shouldn’t have been surprised when Jane picked up on her emotional shift. She was saved from a repeat of the previous night’s hives when Susie poked her head in the doorway. 

“Yes, Susie?” Maura asked, the relief almost palpable in her voice.

If it stood out as odd, the younger criminologist didn’t say. “We did the knife recreations as you asked, Dr. Isles.” She flashed a shy smile at Jane. 

“Hey, Chang.”

Maura shushed her with a look. “What did you find?”

She stepped into the room. “Based on the depth and width of the wounds, we could speculate the knife is a close match.”

“Speculate?” Jane repeated. “That sounds like ‘maybe/maybe not’.”

Susie pulled herself up to her full height, which was still 5 inches shorter than Jane. “There are over 200 knives that have the same width across the blade at the same depth. While the knife you brought in is an incredibly high quality knife, it is common in many other ways. Unless we can find traces of the metal in the wounds-”

“Easy there, Chang.” Jane held out her hands as if calming a horse. 

Maura deftly stepped in. “You likely won’t.” Susie raised her eyebrows. “Detective Frost and I discovered something last night.” She held up the tray that contained the remains of the gelatin Frost didn’t eat. “The weapon was made from a mold.”

Susie’s eyebrows kept rising. “Out of gelatin?” When Maura nodded, she mouthed, “Wow.” Staring at the tray, she worked it out loud. “That’s why there was graphite on the blade- the killer traced that knife as a template. Air purifier hardens the gelatin. Then-” She made stabbing motions that made both Maura and Jane step back. “Wow.” This time, she said it out loud. “Then, then you reduce it back to its original form. That is ingenious.”

“Thanks to the Internet,” Jane said.

Susie shook her head. “Humanity has been coming up with ways to kill since the beginning of time, Detective. It’s why you and I have jobs.”

Jane was taken aback by the honesty, but couldn’t disagree. “Just don’t say that at the next job fair, okay?”

Susie’s grin belied the topic. “So have we figured out what it all means? Who is clever enough to do something like this?”

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” Maura replied.

“And that’s my cue,” Jane said, pushing herself away from the table. “I’m betting Frost has already got a list of numbers we’re going to have sooo much fun tracking down.” She did a little dance with Susie when neither could decide which way they were going, then turned at the door. “I’ll talk to you later?” Her tone indicated she was hoping for an answer.

“Of course,” Maura said, and was rewarded with a bright smile.

“Great!” Remembering they weren’t the only 2 in the room, Jane cleared her throat. “See ya, Chang.”

…..

She was barely back in the bullpen when Frost called out, tapping his monitor.

“Got 2 previous employees and 3 boyfriends.”

“Tell me there’s an arrest for assault in there,” Jane pleaded as she sat.

“Okay. There’s an arrest for assault in there.”

Any plans for an eye roll were quashed when she saw the seriousness in his face. “You’re kidding me.”

“Nope,” he said, which brought a grin to his lips. “One assault _and_ a refusing to leave the premises charge.”

“Previous boyfriend and previous employer.”

He nodded. “Exactly. Seems like she came after the boyfriend with a golf club and the club nearly won. Got fired from L’Etoile restaurant and proceeded to rearrange the kitchen. With a broom.” Jane whistled. “Funny thing is, she got off the first charge by admitting to the second. She got fired 2 days prior to the assault on her boyfriend.”

“The judge put it down to stress,” Jane said.

“Yep. And the restaurant dropped their charges, not wanting whatever publicity that would come with them.”

“So she got off on both charges. That’s convenient.” She bounced her pencil on the desk. 

“What are you thinkin’?” he asked.

Stretching back, she looked at the ceiling. “I’m thinking we need to talk to the boyfriends and the employers. But first, I’m thinking of lunch.”

“Sounds good, partner.” He patted his stomach. “We should ask Dr. Isles to join us. She was a really big help with the knife thing.”

“You mean she didn’t think you were a loon,” Jane corrected with a laugh. “Yeah, okay, let’s ask her. Might brighten her day a little.”

“Well, can you blame her? Someone lurkin’ around her house, sendin’ her notes? I’d be freaked out, too.”

The pencil stopped. “What?”

He recognized his mistake immediately, but knew it was too late to backtrack. “I thought she told you. That’s why I left you two alone. She told me she was gonna tell you this morning. I’m sorry, Jane.”

She held up a forgiving hand. “Meet us at the Robber. This’ll just take a minute.” 

He didn’t have to ask her where she was going.

…..

“Oh! Hello, Detec-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Maura’s pen paused over the file. “Sorry?”

Jane closed the office door behind her. “I found out why you didn’t get your coffee today.”

Maura’s face fell. “Jane. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Some creeper’s-” She waved her hands around, looking for the word. “Creeping around your house? Doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“Of course it’s something,” Maura conceded. “It’s just nothing to worry over.”

“That’s not what Frost thought. And before you say anything, he didn’t come out and tell me. It slipped out in a conversation between friends. Because that’s what friends do. We’re friends, right?”

There was a softness to the question that gently unknotted Maura’s tension. “Yes,” she replied, “I hope we are.”

“We are. So tell your friend what’s going on.”

“It only started last week. When I was late that morning?” Jane nodded her remembrance. “The woman I nearly spilled the coffee on has suddenly taken a vested interest in me. A very vested interest.”

“The note was from her?”

“Yes.”

“What else?”

“She turned up at my house last night.” Maura shook her head. “No, that’s wrong. She turned up across the street from my house last night.”

“And you’re sure it was her?”

“I had just spoken to her in the coffee shop yesterday morning.” Her face blanched at the memory. “It was very unsettling.”

Jane came around the desk and lifted Maura to her feet. “We’re going to get you some protection.”

Maura frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Police protection,” Jane replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“No,” Maura shook her head, “no. At this point, it’s nothing but an inconvenience. I won’t waste police time by asking them to stand at my door or sit in a car. According to the law, she’s done nothing wrong.”

Jane didn’t want to alarm her by adding the word ‘yet’. Instead, she said, “You’re the Chief Medical Examiner of the commonwealth. We should be proactive about this.”

“Jane,” she said, reaching out to touch her arm, “I have a 10 thousand dollar security system at home and I work in a police station. I’m fairly certain about my safety.”

Jane enjoyed the warmth in the touch while she contemplated the comment. “Fine. But I want you to have an escort to and from your car. At least give me that.”

“That seems fair.”

“Good. We can start that right now, because I told Frost we’d meet him at the Robber and I’ve been dying to drive your Mercedes.”

“Oh, really?” The mirth returned to Maura’s voice.

“Definitely.” Jane leaned in close like a conspirator. “Mercedes AMG GT Roadster. 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.”

Maura joined in. “550 horsepower.”

“V8 turbo.”

“Soft top.”

“Heated seats?” 

“Of course.”

Jane feigned swooning. “Sexy car.”

“Then you should definitely drive it.” 

Based on their facial reactions, the words hit their ears at the same time, and Maura flushed red.

“I mean-”

Jane touched her finger to Maura’s lips and smirked. “No, I’m pretty sure nothing about that needs to change.”

She tapped her finger twice, her eyes watching her movements, Maura watching her. They were still standing conspiratorially close, bodies near enough to almost be touching, shampoo and perfume mingling into one. The office was cool and still, as if it was waiting to see what its occupants would do next. When Jane’s cell buzzed, both jumped, small laughter quelling their nerves. Reluctantly, Jane blinked herself back to reality and unclipped the phone from her belt. 

“It’s Frost,” she said. “Wondering ‘where you at?’” She looked at Maura. “So I guess we should go.”

Drawing confidence from the moment between them, Maura reached for her purse and placed the keys into Jane’s palm, curling their fingers closed.

“You should definitely drive it,” she said, before leaving a bemused detective in her wake.

…..


	10. Chapter 10

…..

The first words out of Frost’s mouth were, “I’m sorry, Dr. Isles. I didn’t mean-”

She touched his arm before sliding into the booth. “It’s okay, Barry. She would’ve figured it out sooner or later, I’m sure.”

“Because I’m a detective. That’s what I do. Don’t ever forget that.” Jane slipped in beside Maura and made eye contact with the waitress.

Frost chuckled at Jane’s faked threat. “Yeah, okay, Columbo.” He had the good sense to cover his grin when she shot him a pointed look. “Anyway, I’m glad you know. And if you need anyone to cover a shift, you just gotta ask.”

“A shift?” Maura asked.

“Yeah, you know, watch your house or whatever.”

“See?” Jane said. “I’m not the only one thinking of protection detail.”

“Thank you, Barry, but as I told Jane, I’m quite protected as it is. Besides, I’m worried the more attention we give this, the more it will encourage her.”

Once their orders were placed, Barry returned to the subject. 

“What… I mean, I guess I don’t get it. Not that you’re not very attractive, Dr. Isles, I mean, I get that part.” He glanced at Jane who was giving him an amused look. “What I mean is, what attracts a person to follow someone like this?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “All I did was apologize for nearly spilling my coffee on her. In fact, I spilled most of it on myself.”

“Starved for attention, maybe?” Jane guessed, sipping her Coke.

“It could be anything,” Maura replied.

“So what happens now?” Frost asked. “Hope it just goes away?”

Maura shrugged. “Until it escalates, there’s not much we can do.”

The words and what it meant in action hardened Jane’s voice. “It won’t get that far.”

“No, of course it won’t,” Maura quickly concurred. “I simply mean there’s no point worrying about it. I won’t let it take up another minute of my time, and I hope both of you will do the same.”

“Okay,” Jane replied. “Instead, let’s ask Frost when he’s going to ask Isabelle out.”

“Yes, let’s!” Maura happily agreed. 

Both women turned their attention to a flustering Frost who was saved by the arrival of their lunch.

…..

“I can’t believe she let you drive the Mercedes!”

Jane popped the last fry in her mouth. “I can’t believe you can’t believe it.”

“Well, I mean c’mon, that’s a sexy car.”

“So I’m not sexy enough to drive it?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“So you think Maura’s sexy?”

“Of course!” Her raised eyebrow made him rethink his words. Pretending to be dazed, he looked around and said, “I have a shovel in my hands. How did I get in this hole?”

Her laughter let him off the hook and she reached across the table to give him a light punch on the shoulder. “It _is_ a sexy car.”

“Your fascination with my car is quite amusing.”

They turned to Maura who was returning from the bathroom.

“Hey,” Jane said. “I like fine things.”

“You sure do,” Frost smirked. He winked when her kick under the table missed. “And on that note, I guess we’d better get back, huh, partner?”

Jane sighed. “Yeah. I want to talk to the boyfriend and the employer before the end of the day.” Seeing Maura’s curious expression, she said, “Cynthia Parker has a background worth checking in to. I’ll explain it in the car.”

Reaching into her purse, Maura took out the keys and prompted Frost to hold out his hand. “Automatic starter, Barry. Just unlock the door and press the ignition.”

While Frost’s tongue was shocked into silence, Jane’s uttered a single “What??”

Maura’s lips twitched. “What?”

“Why does he get to drive it back?”

Tilting her head, Maura innocently asked, “You don’t think Barry’s sexy enough to drive it?”

“No. I mean, if you go for that not really tall, dark and handsome look, I guess. I just thought, you know,” she looked at Maura and weighed her options. It was only the three of them, and she knew she could trust Frost with her privacy. He might give her a little ribbing about it, but he’d keep quiet. Still, she laced her follow-up with a light tone. “I thought we had something special. But whatever.”

Maura was beginning to recognize how Jane used humour as a defense mechanism, that there was often something deeper under her retorts and quips. With that knowledge, Maura quickly left a kiss on Jane’s cheek as if it was nothing and replied, “We do.” 

She was halfway to the door before she realized she had left them behind. Turning, she let out a laugh when she saw them still sitting at the booth, both with mouths agape.

…..

“I can’t believe you let him drive the car,” Jane grumbled behind the wheel of the police issue sedan.

“I’ve always wanted to ride in an undercover police car,” Maura declared with delight. “Do you have a siren?”

“Yeah,” Jane replied, “it’s in the- nevermind! That’s for police use only!” _One tiny kiss on the cheek and you’re putty in her hands_ , she reprimanded herself. “I would’ve thought you’d be all germaphobe in this garbage pile.”

“Oh, I am,” Maura assured her, “but the appeal of being in the car overrides the peel in the car.” She pointed to the orange peel on the floor.

Jane shook her head at Maura’s excitement. “Very punny.” When they pulled up to a red light, she turned in her seat. “Any plans for tonight?”

Maura stopped her examination of all things in the car to say, “I think I have a dinner date.”

“Oh.” She tamped down her disappointment. “Well, make sure they walk you to and from the car. And if you need someone to pick you up, you call me.”

“I would think I would just talk to you, since you’d be there. Green light.”

“What?”

“Green light,” Maura repeated, pointing to the traffic light.

The honk behind them got a growl from Jane. “All right, all right!”

“You should use the siren,” Maura suggested nonchalantly. 

Back in the flow of traffic, Jane stole a glance at Maura. “What did you mean, ‘since you’d be there’?”

“I believe I promised you a dinner, didn’t I? I was under the impression you starved without the charity of friends and family.”

The conversation they had after the Sunday dinner replayed in her mind. “Ha ha. Not entirely a lie.” The implication finally hit her. “You want to take me to dinner?”

“Or I could make you dinner. Your mother brought me some of the leftover rigatoni yesterday.”

Jane slapped the steering wheel. “That’s why I only got one container!”

Maura laughed. “Then I insist- let me make it up to you.”

Jane tried not to imagine what all that could entail. “I guess I could let you do that. What time should I come over?”

“Since you insist on walking me to my car, why don’t you just follow me home?”

“That’s how I convinced Ma to let us have a cat when I was six.”

Maura’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps I could be persuaded to keep you.”

Jane coughed out a disbelieving laugh. If the car went from 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds, she wondered how she’d calculate the speed of this new turn in their relationship. Were they going too fast? Was “relationship” even the right word? If she even dreamed of voicing the questions out loud, the idea died on her lips when she saw the hazel eyes that looked right back at her. Open. Honest. A willing accomplice in whatever their hearts were plotting.

With a swagger in her voice, Jane repeated, “‘Perhaps’?”

Not to be outdone, Maura replied slyly, “Work on the persuasion and we’ll see.”

Jane nearly drove over the curb as she pulled into the police parkade.

…..

“You’re not Maura.”

The voice echoed off the concrete walls and cut through Frost’s euphoria. He had just gotten out of the Mercedes and stepped back to admire the vehicle when he heard the mild accusation. Spinning towards the sound, his eyes took a moment until he could see a figure standing in the empty stall across Maura’s spot. He hadn’t seen anyone lurking around Maura’s house when he left the night before, but he had no doubt this was the woman who had inserted herself into Maura’s life.

“No, ma’am, I’m not. And you are?”

“A friend,” she replied. “A good friend. That’s her car. What are you doing driving it?”

Frost slowly revealed the badge on his belt. “She asked me to drive it back from lunch.”

Her eyes went from the badge to his face, and he felt his skin go cold under her scrutiny. They held each other’s gaze, and Frost had the distinct impression that breaking the stare would be a dangerous tell. Even when the faulty stairwell door banged to signal someone’s arrival, he kept his mettle. As if to acknowledge his fortitude, she suddenly grinned and pointed at him. 

“You must be a good friend, too, or she wouldn’t allow you to drive her car.”

He hoped his racing heartbeat wasn’t evident in his voice. “I am.”

“Good. That’s good.” Somehow, she made the praise sound threatening. 

“Everything okay?”

Frost turned to the voice. “Oh, hey, Lieutenant,” he said to his boss. “Yeah, just, just talkin’.”

Cavanaugh’s steely countenance took in the scenario, revealing nothing. At last, he flicked his gaze to Frost and said, “Shouldn’t you be gettin’ back to work, Detective?”

“Yes, sir,” Frost replied, silently thanking the man for the escape.

“Then get to it.” Though the words were clipped and hard, he gave Frost the faintest tip of his head that Frost acknowledged with a clenched jaw and hard swallow before making for the stairwell. Cavanaugh allowed a quick look at the woman who was still standing in the parking spot. Manners required him to address her, but training as a police officer kept it to a cautious minimum.

“Ma’am.”

She didn’t extend the courtesy and instead walked away without a word.

…..

The bounce in Jane’s step faltered when she saw Frost’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

Though there wasn’t anyone in the bullpen to overhear, he leaned forward. “I saw Maura’s-” He realized they hadn’t properly agreed on what the woman was. “Stalker? Admirer?”

Jane didn’t correct either label. “Where?”

“In the damn parking garage,” he blurted out. “Scared the shit out of me! Saw me get out of the car and practically demanded what I was doing in it and did Maura know. Said she was a good friend of Dr. Isles.”

“Think you could pick her out?” 

Frost knew she was talking about a single-photo I.D. “Yeah, definitely.”

“Okay. Talk to BRIC. See if they can bring anything up on your description. And see if they can pull up the garage video. I’m hoping this isn’t her first attempt at breaking the law.”

“Maybe she’s breaking a parole requirement,” Frost said, picking up her meaning. “I gotcha. What are you gonna do in the meantime?”

“I’ll call the ex and the previous employer.”

“Thought you wanted to do a face-to-face on those?”

She shrugged. “Not sure we need to worry about them hiding anything. The ex pressed charges and she wiggled out of them. I bet he’ll be more than willing to tell me anything. And once I guilt the employers by telling them their dropped charge got her off an assault case, I bet they’ll have more stories to tell.”

Frost shook his head in admiration. “When I grow up, I wanna be just like you.”

She grinned, shooed him away, and picked up the phone.

…..

“Any luck?” she asked him when he finally returned to the bullpen.

He shook his head. “Nothin’. You know those cameras in the garage are shit. I looked like Michael Jackson.”

“Before or after Thriller?”

“Ha ha. Anyway, next time I’ll just pull out my phone and take a picture. She didn’t seem to be in a big hurry to leave.”

“I don’t like it,” Jane said. “She didn’t scurry off when she saw your badge. Means she doesn’t care.”

“I guess if there’s a silver lining, you get to spend more time with Dr. Isles.” He wasn’t deterred by her hardened stare. “What? I’m just sayin’.”

“Uh-huh. In the meantime, we might have to have another talk with Gary Raines. You were taking so long that I ended up calling Cynthia Parker’s other 2 exes and employer. Nothing that escalated to charges, but every one of them had a story to tell about Crazy Cynthia.”

“So what do we need from Gary?”

“Something. Anything.” 

He tilted his head, waiting for more. 

“We still don’t have anything concrete,” she continued. “The priors won’t be admissible in court. No murder weapon, no witnesses, no blood.”

“Just a whole lotta crazy.”

“Yep.” She saw a flame light in Frost’s eyes. “What?”

Holding up a finger, he grinned. “Hold on. She’s a TV chef, right?” He began typing on his keyboard. “May be nothin’. Or-”

His eyes darted over the monitor, and Jane found herself leaning closer.

“Or what?”

He snapped his fingers and pointed at his computer. “Got you!” Swivelling the monitor towards her, he sat back and revelled in his discovery.

It didn’t take long for Jane to figure out what she was watching. She checked the time stamp on the video just to make sure, and covered her mouth in part horror, part fascination. Tearing her eyes away from the monitor, she looked up to see Frost beaming.

“Don’t know what you’re smiling about- she just made Gary Raines eat the murder weapon. On his birthday.”

Visions of the cooking program flashed through his mind. The malt glasses filled with Jell-O and whipped cream. Gary Raines’ row of white teeth while he extolled the simple pleasures of childhood. How his dessert was the only thing that was green.

“You’re looking a little green yourself, Frost.”

He grabbed the small garbage can and retched.

“I thought boiling it back down to liquid form killed all the bacteria?” she asked innocently.

He looked up from the can. “Why you gotta be like that?” She laughed, and he couldn’t help but laugh with her. “Shit. Do we tell him?”

She shook her head. “Would you want to know?” He made a face. “Let’s go talk to the tech guys and get a wire. I’m sure we can convince him to wear it without-” She gestured wordlessly at the monitor and wrinkled her nose. 

“You really think we can get a confession out of her?”

“We don’t need one. We just need her to admit to enough to convince the DA.”

His head bobbed in agreement. “You were right about one thing.”

“I’m right about many things, Frost,” she smirked. “Anything in particular?”

“I’ll never look at Jell-O the same again.”

…..


	11. Chapter 11

…..

She put the key in the ignition and fired off a quick text.

_Heading over to talk to Gary Raines. Don’t leave without me._

She looked up from her cell phone and was unaware of the smile on her face until Frost pointed it out.

“I was gonna ask how your mom was doing, but then you smiled.”

It took Jane a second to get the joke, but when she did, she raised her hand to give Frost a high-five. “Good one, partner.”

“Please don’t ever tell her I said that.”

“Scaredy-cat.”

“So who was it? If it wasn’t your mother and I’m the only person to put a smile on your face.”

“Ha. Ha.”

He leaned over from the passenger seat and pretended to look at her phone. “Have you come up with a cute contact name for her yet?” He snapped his fingers. “‘Doctor Delicious’. If you need some help, I can change the ringtone for you. _‘I believe in miracles. Where you from, you sexy thing?_ ’”

She stared at him, stuck between dumbfound and deadly intent. “Are you done?”

Becoming the image of stoicism again, he nodded, paused, and held up a finger. “Hold on a sec.” Then proceeded to sing the chorus one more time. “Okay, now I’m done.”

“Asshole.”

“Yeah!”

She tapped the brake just a little too hard, jerking him forward against his seatbelt and giving her a small amount of satisfaction. “And if it’s any of your business, I was just telling Maura to wait for us to get back.”

This time his seriousness was genuine. “What do you think’s gonna happen? I mean, in the end?”

Jane pressed her lips together. “I don’t know,” she hated to admit. “How often do these things get happy endings? All I can do is make sure Maura’s safe until then.”

“We,” Frost corrected her. “Whatever you need, partner.”

“Thanks, Frost.”

“Anything for you and Doctor Delicious.”

“You had to wreck it.” His laughter wasn’t deterred by her tone. “I’m telling her you’re calling her that. Then I’m telling Ma you, you _sassed_ her when she wasn’t around.”

“Now, Jane, there’s no need-”

“Oh, I’m doing it!”

“I’ll buy La Bakeria.”

She put the car in park outside the television station. “I’ll think about it.” Turning off the ignition, she adjusted her gun and her badge. “Got the wire?” When he held up the small device, she said, “Let’s go.”

…..

“You’re going to have to tell me a hell of a lot more than that if you expect me to wear a wire.”

“First, Mr. Raines, keep your voice down,” Jane instructed. “Second, while the investigation is still open, we can’t compromise it by giving you anything more than the basic details.”

“So you want me to find out if Cynthia had any previous contact with Rachel? Seems like you could just ask her yourself.” He tried to get into a staring contest with Jane, to no avail. His eyes narrowed, then grew wide. “You think she had something to do with-”

“Keep it down,” Jane said. “I won’t tell you again.”

“That crazy bitch!” Raines practically giggled.

Jane closed her eyes momentarily and drew in a long breath. Frost quickly jumped in, for Raines’ sake more than Jane’s. 

“This isn’t going to work if you go into it like that,” Frost said. “Maybe this was just a waste of time, Jane.”

The performer in Raines’ couldn’t let that go by. “Hey, I can pretend just as well as anybody. I am a fucking weatherman after all.”

“Thought they called you ‘meteorologists’,” Frost said.

Raines snorted. “Yeah, whatever. So how do you want to do this?”

Finding her calming centre, Jane said, “We’ll come back first thing in the morning. The cooking segments are live, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, only the stuff outside the studio is pre-recorded.”

“What time is she usually here?”

“Most of us show up about an hour before our slot,” Raines said, “but Ms. Perfectionist likes to be here two hours ahead of time. Her slot’s at 10.”

“And yours?” she asked.

“Nine.”

“Okay, so it won’t be out of the ordinary for you to be here,” Jane said. “We can meet up with you before you come to work. Set the wire up.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m in the business, Detective Rizzoli. I know how to set up my own audio.”

Frost shrugged at Jane. “He is a fucking weatherman, after all.”

Glowering, Raines snipped, “You want me to do this or not?”

“You want me to arrest you for impeding an investigation?” Jane volleyed back.

“Okay, okay. But I can set up the wire myself.” He held out his hand like a petulant child and Frost dropped the device into his palm. “I’ll test it before I get to work and once when I get here. If there’s any problems, that’s on you guys.” 

Jane gritted her teeth and Frost stepped in once again. “We appreciate your help, Mr. Raines.”

The thanks seemed to appease him because he nodded and replied, “For the police? Any time.” He held up the wire and put it in his pocket. “I can play my part.”

He was just about out of earshot when Jane called out, “Happy belated birthday, by the way.”

Raines turned and frowned his confusion, but professional habit made him smile and reply, “Thanks.” If he wondered why the two detectives seemed to be stifling a grin, he didn’t say.

…..

A detour to La Bakeria later, the detectives returned to the precinct in time to wrap things up. After sharing their plan with Cavanaugh, he told them to call it a day, ordering an update once they came back from the station the next morning. Not needing to be told twice, Frost and Jane quickly found themselves at the elevator door, happy to leave early. 

“Watching the game tonight?” Frost asked, hitting the ‘down’ button again.

“You know that doesn’t make the elevator come any faster, right?” she told him. “And no, I’m not watching the game. I mean, maybe, I don’t know.”

Frost looked at her sideways. “What was that?”

“I’m probably not watching the game, no. Better?”

“Better? Game 4 of the World Series and you’re ‘probably not watching the game’.” His impression of her was closer than she’d like to admit. “Just tell me she’s okay.”

Jane frowned. “Who?”

“My partner, Jane Rizzoli.”

“Oh, good one.” The elevator door opened and she practically pushed him inside. “I might have something better to do. Who knows?”

“You’re having dinner with Maura.”

Jane deflected the uncanny accuracy of his statement. “Don’t think I don’t notice you’re not calling her ‘Doctor Delicious’ while we’re in the station. She doesn’t have super hearing.”

He shrugged. “I dunno. She’s got super everything else.” His mouth twitched when he saw the blush creep up her neck. “And don’t think I don’t notice you’re not answering the question. But okay. Not my business. Just your partner an’ all.”

“Fine. I’m going to dinner with Doctor Delicious.”

The door chimed open to reveal Maura waiting for the elevator.

“Oh, my god,” Jane whispered. She elbowed Frost who had burst out laughing.

“Barry,” Maura said, a greeting that was politeness coupled with confusion. “Jane. I was just coming up to see you.”

“And we were just coming down to see you,” she replied, happy to move the subject into safe territory. “Cavanaugh let us leave early. We’ve got to be at Channel 4 by 8 tomorrow.”

“Gary Raines is going to wear a wire,” Frost filled in, stepping aside to let Maura onto the elevator. 

“Ah, I see,” Maura nodded. “I was coming up to see about you leave early. Fortuitous timing.”

Jane pushed the garage button. “And good timing, too.” She peripherally caught Maura’s inquisitive gaze and couldn’t maintain her serious expression. 

“I see,” Maura said again.

The perpetually cool and damp garage air greeted them when the elevator door opened. Frost pinched Jane’s elbow, and she was about to sharply question him when she saw the look in his eyes. He raised his eyebrows and silently directed her to follow his gaze. Anyone else might have said, “That’s her,” but she appreciated the fact he knew it wasn’t necessary. Standing in- unknown to Jane- the same spot Frost had seen her earlier, was the woman Jane had yet to meet, but had heard enough of to feel the hairs rise on the back of her neck. Maura faltered, but Jane put a comforting hand on her back and stepped into her side. Barely moving her lips, she whispered into her ear.

“Go to your car. Don’t make eye contact and don’t say a word. Don’t unlock it until you’re right at the door. Me an’ Frost will make sure everything’s okay. Okay?”

Maura was so rattled she didn’t bother correcting the grammar. “Okay.”

Jane gave her a final comforting squeeze and watched her walk away, proud that she had found some strength to put a purpose in her stride and a confidence in her straightened shoulders. A Mexican standoff of sorts lingered between the three who watched her go to her car, until Joy called out.

“Hi, Maura!”

The greeting echoed and bounced off the concrete walls, dying in the open space, unanswered. It was the first time Jane had heard her voice, and the casual address did nothing to put her at ease. To her credit, Maura did exactly as Jane had instructed, never deviating from her target. When she deactivated the car alarm, Jane jumped at the shrill sound. Frost stepped to left, standing as a unified front, and she silently thanked him. They waited until Maura reversed out of her spot and pulled away. The car banked up the exit ramp and it was only when the tail lights were out of sight that they moved. They parked close together, but it required them to walk across Joy’s line of sight. Unlike her direction to Maura, Jane kept a steely eye contact with the woman, even as they got to their vehicles. 

Parked side by side allowed Frost to ask over the top of his car, “Good?” The word didn’t reach Jane’s ear, so intent was she on the woman glaring back at her. “Jane?”

The edge in the question caught her attention and she finally broke the staredown. Tapping his roof, she nodded her thanks. 

“Yep. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. Meet up here about 7:30?”

“Sure thing.” He glanced at the woman who hadn’t moved, then asked, “You’re not gonna do anything stupid if I leave first, are you, Jane?”

She was able to find some humour in the question, despite the circumstances. “Me, do something stupid?”

His face relaxed into a small grin. “Yeah, why in the world would I ask?” He unlocked his door and gave Jane one final look. “Call me if you need anything.”

She dipped her head, signalling for him to go. As with Maura, she watched him pull out of his spot and aim his car towards the exit. Opening her own door, she cast one more look at Joy who looked back with something akin to a malevolent blankness. Jane slid into her seat and set a mental course to Maura’s. But not before locking her doors.

…..

She knew where Maura lived; she wasn’t a stranger to the city’s boroughs, both as a cop and a born-and-raised Bostonian. She knew Beacon Hill was well out of her price range.

_But holy hell._

She had her badge ready just in case the local footpatrol wondered what a rube like her was doing in a neighbourhood like this. The spot beside the Mercedes was open, and Jane apologized to the luxury car that it had to share with her 10-year old sedan. Her feet met the cobblestone drive and she hoped Enzo had fixed her leaky transmission in the last tune-up. For the first time in a long while, she stepped back and looked at herself and wondered what in the world she was doing here.

That rare moment of self-doubt lasted as long as it took Maura to open the door and smile.

“Are you coming in or not?”

An innocent question that seemed to hold so much weight. One look at Maura made Jane think she could carry the world.

“Yeah. Just spending some quality time with your car.”

Maura laughed. “Well, when you’re done, feel free to spend some quality time with me.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before Jane was on the doorstep. “The car will wait.”

“Mmmm,” Maura replied, letting her in. “You don’t think I would wait for you?”

Two loaded questions in the span of 20 seconds had Jane reeling, but somehow in a good way that gave Jane her swagger back. “You’re prettier, anyway.”

The blush had already begun to stain her cheeks as she set the alarm. “Flattery could get you everywhere.”

“I find it hard to believe no one’s ever told you that.”

“That I’m prettier than my car? No.” She glanced over her shoulder on their way to the kitchen, the glint in her eye bright and teasing.

Jane chuckled. “Can I ask you something?”

“May you? Of course.”

She rolled her eyes at the correction and was about to toss out a sarcastic quip when she looked into hazel eyes that were so patiently waiting for the question. Pressing her hands together, Jane wondered where her bravado suddenly went.

“I, uh-” She clenched her jaw at her teenage stumbling. 

“Yes, Jane?”

“First, you need to stop saying my name like that.”

Rather than be offended, the expression on Maura’s face was clearly one of amusement. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“No?”

“Is that your question?”

“No.”

Hesitating just long enough to give Maura a chance to halt her advance, she slowly stepped forward. Maura stepped back, but only to lean against the kitchen island as a kind of support to offset Jane’s advance. Jane watched Maura’s fingers lazily curl around the counter’s edge and her posture relax, as if she had been ready for this moment the minute Jane had walked in the door. It gave Jane the confidence she needed to brush her thumb over Maura’s bottom lip before replacing it with her mouth. She was rewarded with a soft moan and softer hands that curled up her neck and framed her face, holding her in a way that gave no doubt of intent. Jane fed off the wordless admission by circling her arms around Maura’s waist and drawing her impossibly tight into her body. She revelled in the soft and the firm, and had she been a mathematician, she might have been able to come up with a formula for the perfection in its balance. Instead, she submitted to the mystery that was the woman who was giving back everything Jane gave, yet somehow also yielding under Jane’s eager mouth and possessive hands. When she pulled away, Maura leaned forward, unwilling to accept the early retreat. A few nips on Jane’s bottom lip seemed to fill the quota Maura needed to allow the break.

“Wow.” Jane loosened her grip but not entirely, letting her hands rest on Maura’s hips.

Maura found a new fascination in nuzzling Jane’s nose with hers. “Yes.”

The doubts and ‘this is a bad idea’ moments would come later, she knew, but for now, Jane basked in the simple yet majestic fact that she had just kissed Maura Isles. And Maura had kissed her back. With unexpected enthusiasm.

“I knew I’d be thinking about doing that all through dinner,” Jane said matter-of-factly. “I didn’t want it to be a distraction.”

Maura hummed at the explanation and played along. “That was very thoughtful of you.” Jane’s stomach grumbled, drawing Maura’s eyes downward. “Speaking of dinner.”

“Why don’t I call for pizza?” Jane asked.

“You don’t want the rigatoni?”

Jane made a face. “I think I’d like to leave my mother out of this for as long as possible. In any capacity.”

“I can’t say I understand, but if that’s what you want. I think I may have some flyers around somewhere.”

Unclipping her phone from her belt was the first motion Jane made to take her hand away from Maura’s waist. Her fingers tingled at the break, and Maura must have felt the absence, too, because her hand covered the vacated spot, as if to soothe the loss. Jane tried to slow down the breakneck speed things were progressing by injecting some humour.

Wagging the cell, she smirked, “Speed dial, Maura. They’ll be shocked when I give them a different address.”

Maura grinned at the attempt. “And your order is on file?”

“Large pepperoni.” Seeing Maura’s nose wrinkle, she tilted her head, prompting an alternative response.

“Mushroom?” Jane mirrored Maura’s wrinkle. “Half and half?”

Jane pressed a few buttons. “Compromise. I like that.”

“I suspect that will come in handy in the future.”

Jane had a retort at the ready when a voice on the other end barked a greeting that drew her away from Maura’s playful eyebrow.

…..

“If you want pepperoni, I’d appreciate it if you took a slice instead of picking it off.” Jane looked down at the evidence of Maura’s encroachment onto her side of the pizza. “If I wanted a cheese pizza, I would’ve ordered cheese.”

Maura popped another pepperoni piece into her mouth and shrugged without guilt. “Pepperoni contains a high fat content.”

“Oh, so you’re saving me from getting fat.”

“No, I’m saving your heart.”

“You might’ve thought about that before you kissed me.” The words surprised Jane as much as they did Maura.

Maura bowed her head at the honesty, but quickly recovered. “I believe it was you who kissed me? Something about not wanting to distract from dinner?”

“It was very thoughtful of me. You said so yourself.”

“Mmmm,” Maura agreed. Taking a sip of her wine, she said, “I’m sorry I didn’t have beer. Next time.”

Jane picked at the pepperoni. “So there’ll be a next time?”

“Why wouldn’t there be?” Maura asked, surprise winding through her question.

“Just checking,” Jane said, looking up. “I dunno. I’m not sure what this is. What we’re doing.”

Finding a distraction in her wine glass, Maura offered, “Is it important to know, right now?”

Jane blinked. “No. I guess not. I’m just not used to not working with all the facts.”

“Jane, you’re a detective. I would think the majority of your job involves working without facts, or else what is your gut for?”

She thought of how many times she had told Maura to go with her gut, and chuckled at the fact the words were so casually being used against her. 

“Yeah, I guess.”

Sitting at the corner of the kitchen island allowed Maura to take Jane’s hands in hers. Resting them on the cool marble, she rubbed her thumbs over the back of Jane’s hands, carefully avoiding the raised white scars. With a squeeze, she looked up into warm yet uncertain eyes.

“I don’t know what this is,” Maura admitted. “I don’t know where it’s going or how this will affect us at work.” The sudden change in Jane’s eyes led Maura to believe she hadn’t thought about it that far. She gave another reassuring squeeze. “But I would rather figure it out later than not have this now.” Glancing down, she dared to run her thumbs over the scars. “Tell me about these.”

The change in subject caught Jane off-guard. 

“From the frying pan to the fire, huh?”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Jane.”

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Then another. Then another.

“I hate the cold,” she said finally.

Maura didn’t reply, suspecting Jane would continue in her own time.

“The basement. The basement was cold.” Her voice was flat and even. “It wasn’t finished. The basement. The floor was still dirt. Easier to pin my hands to the ground with the scalpels, I guess.” Her laugh was hollow. “The air was cold. He was cold. When he touched my face, it was like icicles against my skin.” Jane shivered despite the warmth in the home.

“Adrenaline caused your body temperature to rise,” Maura softly explained. “But the perspiration chilled you.” Subconsciously, she began to rub Jane’s hands to generate heat.

“Yeah,” Jane absently agreed, her eyes still closed. A hard swallow preceded her next words. “I was so afraid.” 

The admission was barely a whisper, and Maura lip-read them more than she heard them. 

“Yet you still saved Karenna Ghent.”

Jane’s eyes snapped open. 

“You read my file.” The tone was equal measure of accusation and wonder.

“I’ve read everyone’s file, Jane. I wanted to learn about the people I was working with, and I’m more than aware of my own limitations when it comes to getting close enough to people to learn anything about them.”

Jane glanced down at their hands. “Looks like you’re doing a pretty good job right now.”

Maura decided to let Jane set the tone of the conversation, so she met the humour with humour. “I wasn’t sure this particular tactic would work with Sergeant Korsak.”

Narrowing her eyes, Jane said, “You’d better not try.”

Maura couldn’t help but smile. “Noted.” She looked down at their hands. “Thank you for sharing that part of you with me.”

It was a comment that Jane would normally pretend didn’t hold any weight, a comment that would’ve gotten a sarcastic double entendre in reply. But even she could recognize the moment for what it was; it had taken her therapist three weeks to draw out half as much as Maura had done in one night. She turned Maura’s hands over, gazing at the perfect alabaster skin, stroking her thumbs across it.

“Thank you.” She closed her eyes and asked for one more ounce of strength. “Thank you for wanting me to.” Her face went red when she heard the words. “I mean-”

“Well, I did kiss you back, so both interpretations would be correct.”

Jane grinned at her own misstep. “Yes, you did.”

“Quite enthusiastically, if I recall correctly.”

“Was it? My memory’s not what it used to be.”

Maura slowly nodded with pursed lips. Both seemed to come to the silent understanding that any revisits to the past were over for the night, and both were willing to leave it for another time. With sparkling eyes, Maura looked up at Jane.

“Is that so? Perhaps you need a reminder?”

Jane was grateful for the understanding. While their future was steamrolling ahead, she wasn’t quite ready to relive the past with such speed. It was easier to play the confident detective than the vulnerable woman. At least right now.

Her own smirk teasing her lips, she shrugged nonchalantly and replied, “Perhaps.”

Maura huffed and promised, “I’ll give you ‘perhaps’,” before her mouth claimed Jane’s.

…..


	12. Chapter 12

…..

Though Maura’s self-assurance in the physical side of their growing relationship drew out Jane’s own confidence, at some point, both silently agreed to call it a night, albeit with more than a little reluctance. They stood at the door and slowly ran out of reasons to linger, excuses to sway into each other’s orbit. Jane’s fingers brushed over Maura’s hand for the umpteenth time, a magnet drawn to its counterpart.

“I really, really should go,” Jane said.

Maura reached for Jane’s wrist and turned it to glance at the watch. “You might even get home in time to watch the game.”

Jane frowned. “Game?”

“Boston’s playing on the west coast tonight. Game four, if I’ve gotten the terminology right.”

A smile spread across Jane’s face. “How do you know that?”

Maura’s hips twisted back and forth. “I may have read up on some Red Sox news in the last week.”

“Just sorta stumbled into it while learning the entire history of the Pats, huh?”

“Something like that.” Her little shrug portrayed feigned innocence.

“Uh-huh.” She looked down at Maura’s fingers still gently wrapped around her wrist. “Just so you know, that’s not why I’m leaving. The game, I mean.”

All kidding aside, Maura nodded. “I know.”

“I like this.” The words were simple yet so encompassing that Jane couldn’t help but be embarrassed they had slipped out of her mouth.

Maura’s hand slid from Jane’s wrist to her fingers and squeezed. Rather than delve into the deeper meaning, she replied simply, “So do I.”

“Good,” Jane said, feeling some bravado returning. “Because if you didn’t, you know? Awkward.”

The face she made had Maura laughing. “Thank goodness we dodged _that_ bullet.”

Before the second round of lingering could start, Jane quickly leaned down and lightly kissed her. 

“I’m going now. Make sure you set your super-duper security alarm when I go.”

“I will,” Maura promised.

“Okay.” They gazed at each other for another minute. “Okay, really. I’m going. Really.”

“Really?”

Jane scowled at Maura’s playfulness. “Yes, really. Watch the game. There’ll be a test tomorrow.” She used Maura’s horrified panic as an excuse to drop another kiss before turning the handle and grinning. “Joke, Maura. See you tomorrow.”

…..

Jane let Frost’s examination last for two minutes before she asked, “What?”

If she thought he’d be put off by her brusque question, she was mistaken. Shifting in the passenger seat, he blatantly studied her. Seemingly pleased with what he found, he smiled.

“You were up late.”

“Yeah, so?”

“With Doctor Delicious?”

She signalled the turn and swore at the driver who cut her off. “You know, you’re going to let that slip in front of her one day and I cannot wait to be there.”

“Nah. I respect her too much; I only do it to bug you. So, late night.”

“Mmmm,” she replied. “Was on my back for a huge part of it.” Glancing over, she rolled her eyes at Frost’s anticipatory lean. “Watching the game, you pig. At my house. Alone. Unless you count my beer.”

“Wait, what? I thought you had dinner with Dr. Isles?”

She nodded. “Yep. And I got home by the 2nd inning.”

He dropped back in his seat, clearly disappointed. “Damn.”

She could only take his hangdog look for so long. “It was a good dinner.” 

There was enough in her tone that spoke of things beyond the meal, and he beamed.

“All right. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” He ignored another eyeroll. “What did you think of Bass?”

“Who?”

His eyes went wide. “You didn’t see the tortoise?”

“Frost, what the hell are you talking about?”

He hooted and slapped her shoulder, getting a glare in return. “She’s got this big ass tortoise. I mean-” He made a circle with his arms. “I got to feed it a strawberry.”

She looked at him like he had grown another head. “I don’t even know how to deal with you.”

Fluttering his eyes, he said, “Maybe next time look at something other than the doc. Not that she’s not somethin’ to look at, mind you.” That got him a second glare. “I’ll shut up now.”

“Yeah, you do that.” 

They pulled into Channel 4’s parking lot for the second time in two days. Putting the car into park, Jane leaned into the seat and looked out the window. 

“What do you think our chances are of getting something out of this?”

“You mean, what do I think our chances are of Gary Raines not fucking this up?” Frost said. “I’ve got 20 bucks that says the first words out of his mouth will be, ‘Did you kill Rachel?’”

She twisted her mouth and looked off to the side, as if mentally calculating the odds. “You know what, Frost? I think you need to have more faith in people. I’ll take that bet.” Unclipping her seat belt, she grabbed her gun from the console that separated them. “Besides, thanks to the over/under on the Legano stab wounds, I’m still up 20.”

…..

She handed him the 20 dollar bill. “That didn’t last long.”

“Thanks, partner,” he whispered. 

They had met up with Gary Raines 10 minutes ago to go over the audio and the plan, in the privacy of the station manager’s office. Raines had brushed aside any kind of script, no matter how thin, based on his ‘unparalleled experience’ with ad-libbing on the fly. It had taken everything - and a bit of Frost running interference - for Jane to not call the whole thing off and strangle the man. Now, alone in the office, they couldn’t see him, but his words were clear as day and did nothing to change her mind about the strangling. 

He had walked into Cynthia’s dressing room and dramatically asked, “Did you kill Rachel?”

“Oh my God,” Jane muttered before handing Frost the money. 

There was nothing they could do now but sit back and hope for the best.

The sound of someone entering her room uninvited made Cynthia spin in her chair.

“What the hell do you want, Gary?”

“Did you kill Rachel?” 

The mascara brush stopped briefly, then continued. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“Rachel Legano,” he said, slowly drawing out the words in the way he would if he were talking to a child. “The police came to talk to me and seem to think they’ve got enough evidence to prove you did it.”

Her attention returned to her mirror. “If they had enough evidence, they’d be here instead of you.”

Her phrasing made him cock his head. “So you _did_ do it!”

She blew out a deprecating breath. “Please. Why in the world would I bother with that nobody?”

Uninvited, he entered the room and made his home on her couch. With a cocky grin, he shrugged and said, “Because you couldn’t imagine me leaving you for a nobody.”

“Not bad,” Frost said, knowing Gary couldn’t hear him.

Tracing the outline of her lips, Cynthia carefully spoke around the makeup pencil. “You give yourself too much credit, Gary. Always thought you were bigger than you were. In every department.”

Jane and Frost didn’t need to see her in order to get the full meaning behind her words. 

“Ouch,” Jane whispered.

Gary deflected the barb like a duck with water. “They got your fingerprints on the knife.”

“I bought them for you. Of course my fingerprints are on them.”

“Rachel’s blood, too.”

Cynthia shrugged. “She was your girlfriend. Right-handed, wasn’t she? Probably cut herself the same way you did. Repeatedly.” 

“No,” he said, “I think there’s more to it than that. Something about too much of her DNA for it to be a simple cut.”

“‘Unparalleled excellence in ad-libbing’,” Jane said with an eyeroll. “He’s watched 10 seasons of CSI and now he thinks he’s going to solve the case.”

Cynthia turned in her chair again and for the first time since he arrived, gave him a genuine smile. “Oh, Gary. I must congratulate you.” He flashed a self-congratulatory grin. “You really are the stupidest man I’ve ever met.” 

The grin fell, to be replaced by impatience. “Give it up, Cynthia. Everyone knows the only reason you’re doing a 2nd rate cooking show in a time slot no one gives a shit about is because you got canned from your last job for smashing up the place.”

A darkness flashed across her face. “They deserved it.” Quickly regaining her composure, she added, “Besides, it’s a hell of a leap from breaking something with a bat and repeatedly stabbing someone in the back.”

Jane leaned forward. “We never gave out that information. How did she know Rachel was stabbed in the back?”

As if he could hear her, Gary asked, “How did you know she was stabbed in the back?”

There was a slight falter in Cynthia’s demeanour, though she tried to recover. “Back, front, she was stabbed. What does it matter?”

“What does it matter?” he repeated. “She was harmless. We had some fun, but I would’ve dumped her the same as I did with you. Let’s be honest,” he said in a rare moment of self-analysis, “I’m an asshole. We both would have moved on. And at least she wasn’t batshit crazy. She wouldn’t have killed my next girlfriend.”

Her eyes went as hard as diamonds. “Maybe I should have killed you instead. Done every woman after me a favour.”

Frost shrugged. “She’s not wrong.”

Rather than be concerned, Gary was a picture of perfect calm. Sitting back, he laced his fingers behind his head and crossed his legs. 

“Sweetheart, you don’t have the balls. You couldn’t even look at Rachel and kill her. Had to sneak up behind her to do it.”

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose. “This isn’t going to end well. Let’s go, Frost.”

“Did she even know it was you?” he went on, oblivious to the rage that was spreading across Cynthia’s face. “Have you killed anyone else? Any other girlfriends of the guys smart enough to dump your crazy ass? Or was this your first venture into stupid?”

“Stupid? Stupid?!” She threw down her lipstick and stood up. “You’re the one who ate the murder weapon, you fucking idiot!” Her laugh bordered on maniacal. 

Gary’s foot dropped to the floor. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She smirked, eyes bright. “Think about it, Gary.” His name was said in a sing-song voice. 

His eyes shifted from side to side, his brain replaying days and weeks in snippets of time. 

“Gary,” she sang. “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.”

His brows met in the middle. “The Jell-O? I don’t get it.”

“Believe me,” Frost said as they entered the room, much to her surprise, “you don’t want to.”

Their arrival, along with Gary’s renewed smirk put the pieces together for Cynthia. The simmering rage tipped into full blown fury. 

“You- you’re wearing a fucking wire, aren’t you?” She lunged forward but Jane intercepted her. “You fucking bastard!” she raged over Jane’s shoulder. 

“Frost,” Jane said.

“On it.” 

He reached behind his back and retrieved his handcuffs. Carefully avoiding the flailing arms, he managed to cuff one, then the other, while reciting her rights. Once she was contained, Jane turned her around and guided her out the door. Gary pulled the microphone from his shirt and wagged it in front of Cynthia. He caught Frost’s arm when the two women left the room. 

“The Jell-O thing?”

Frost remembered how he’d reacted when he saw the video, and as much of an annoyance as the weatherman had been, he wasn’t sure it was his place to fill him in. He also wasn’t sure he wanted to clean the mess off his shoe once he told him. So instead, Frost shrugged.

“Part of a criminal investigation,” he only half-lied. “I’m sure everything’ll come out once the trial starts.” He thanked the man and made his exit before he had to say more. Heat touched his cheeks and he had a newfound sympathy for Maura’s inability to lie.

…..


	13. Chapter 13

…..

The drink wasn’t quite the way Isabelle made it, but Maura accepted it as the pay off required to avoid Joy. Thanking the barista, Maura stepped quickly from the shop to her car and pointed it in the station’s direction. She knew Jane wouldn’t approve of her showing up to work alone, but while she had appreciated Jane’s caution about getting an escort to and from her car, Maura knew the logistics of the request weren’t possible, every single time, especially with Jane out early, and she wasn’t going to put her private life on display by asking anyone else. Fortunately, the dread that clung to her dissipated when she entered the belly of the parking garage and saw no sign of Joy. When she didn’t see her, she realized how easily anxiety had become part of her routine. She laid a hand on her stomach to settle the disquiet. A deep breath followed, though she didn’t dare close her eyes. Quickly gathering her things, she exited the car, set the alarm and made her way to the elevator, her heels clicking loudly in the empty garage. It was only when the elevator began moving did Maura feel secure. Leaning her head against the wall, she let the movement soothe her, and knew she couldn’t let this continue much longer. 

Unfortunately, the trip was too short for her to come up with a solution. With a sigh, she stepped out of the elevator, walked down the hall and swiped her card through the laboratory lock as she’d done a hundred times before, letting her eyes wander over the morgue as she passed. Everything in its right place... except for the light that showed from under her office door. She stopped in her tracks and willed her heart to slow down. Janitors would, on occasion, forget to turn the light off, she reminded herself. Besides, any intruder would need to get access not only to the morgue but to her office, which had a separate lock. Promising to get a non-caffeinated drink for the next few weeks, she tapped another card against the lock, waited for the ‘click’ and stepped in. And for the second time in 60 seconds, she froze.

“Maura!”

She could almost feel her adrenal medulla flooding her system with catecholamines, but she couldn’t figure out why her feet were cemented on the floor, caught between fight or flight, why her eyes were rooted to the woman who stood at her desk like she was anything but an unwelcome guest. How the woman had got here was easily explained by the uniform that blazed the local florist’s logo on the chest, confirmed by the bouquet that sat on Maura’s desk, its beauty a contrast to the sourness in the room.

“You shouldn’t be here.” She would have been proud of how strong the words sounded if she could have heard them over the blood rushing to her head.

“Oh, it’s okay,” Joy said, oblivious to the fact her presence was the opposite of her words. “The guard upstairs was kind enough to let me through when he heard the flowers were for you. You seem to have a lot of fans.” Her mouth turned down ever so slightly at the implication, but she quickly perked up. “Which is good, because it helped me convince the janitor to let me in here. I just wanted to surprise you.” She beamed, her eyes bright with delight. “Surprise!”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Maura repeated, stepping around her desk. “Delivery people aren’t allowed in the morgue,” she added, happy it wasn’t a lie. “It might interfere with chain of evidence.”

Joy’s face opened at the information. “Oh! I’m so sorry! That makes perfect sense. You should really talk to the people who let me in. They’re a risk to your job.”

“I will. Talk to them, I mean. Yes.” Maura willed herself to piece together her strength. As if summoned by Maura’s need, the cell phone in her purse began to beep a familiar notification tone. 

Joy glanced to the purse on the desk. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

“It’s just a text,” Maura said. “Police business.”

Narrowing her eyes, Joy said, “Detective Rizzoli?”

Maura couldn’t lie. “Yes.”

“I don’t like her.”

Maura wasn’t sure how to respond, so she simply murmured, “Oh.”

“And I don’t think she likes me.”

“She doesn’t know you.”

“No, not like you do,” Joy agreed, completely taking Maura’s comment out of context. “Still, she really needs to mind her own business. But I understand why you wouldn’t tell her. I read what happened to her.” Joy shook her head in sympathy. “She hasn’t been the same. I think she could be very dangerous. I want you to be careful.”

Maura stepped back when Joy reached out to touch her shoulder. The bile that rose in her throat left a bitter trail when she swallowed. 

“You should go,” Maura managed to say. 

“Yeah. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble, right?” She smiled and inhaled the scent of the bouquet. “Do you like them?” When Maura dumbly nodded under the jagged scrutiny, Joy winked and took a rose from the bundle. Threading it through a buttonhole on her jacket, she said, “A reminder of you.” 

Maura stood stock still long after Joy had left the room.

…..

_Just bringing Cynthia Parker in. Have you left yet?_

Jane looked down at her phone.

“You know staring at it won’t make her answer any faster.”

She threw a glare at Frost. “Gee, thanks.”

Because they were bringing in a suspect, their entrance was through the front door rather than through the garage, much to Jane’s dismay. Wrestling a still-protesting Cynthia from the back seat to the door let Jane burn off some of her frustration, though the security check and metal detector delay only made it return. While she collected everything from the other side of the machine, she threw a question to the guard.

“Has Dr. Isles been in yet?”

Knowing Maura rarely came through the front, Jane wasn’t expecting a reply, so when he gave her half of one, she was surprised.

“Not sure, but she did get a huge bouquet of flowers,” he said. “Thank God my wife wasn’t around to see them.” 

Jane looked around. “Where is it?”

The guard jerked his chin in the direction of the morgue. “I didn’t have cover, so I just sent the delivery lady down with them.”

“Shit,” Frost whispered from behind her.

“You what?” Jane asked, her voice deadly calm despite her racing heart.

“What?” the guard asked. “I didn’t-”

Jane was gone before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

…..

Maura had counted to 100 before her knees gave out and she fell into her chair. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk but it only highlighted how badly they were shaking. The bouquet hovered in the background of her vision and in an uncharacteristic flash of anger, Maura pushed it off her desk to spill onto the carpet. The soft landing left her unsatisfied and she abruptly stood and stalked into the morgue. The coolness that hit her face did wonders to soothe her, not just in its temperature but in its familiarity. If there was one place she could find solace and strength, it was here. Order and routine. She shakily walked to the instrument table and touched the stainless steel tools with equally shaky fingers.

_1 scalpel_

_1 cartilage knife_

_1 Virchow autopsy knife_

_1 pair of incision scissors_

_1 pair of dissecting forceps_

_1 bone-_

She was so caught up in reciting the list that she hadn’t heard the door open behind her and was unaware of a presence in the room until the shadow fell across her shoulder. Nerves frayed beyond repair, she grabbed the scalpel, turned on a dime and held it out as her last means of protection. 

Jane stood two feet into the room, hands held up, eyes wide with fear, transfixed on the scalpel in Maura’s hand. To her credit, through her own fear, Maura recognized her horrible error. The scalpel clattered to the floor and she rushed to Jane’s side. Though Jane’s eyes were clenched shut, she held out a hand to prevent Maura’s approach.

“No, no, no,” Jane whispered, as if in physical pain.

Maura froze in place, caught between seeking solace and offering comfort. She watched Jane struggle to gather an inner strength, and she tentatively stepped forward again.

“No,” Jane whispered, wiping her hair from her face. “Just… no.” She held up a hand between them but couldn’t find the words to put behind the gesture. Instead, she turned and left without another word.

…..

The soft knock on the door made Maura reluctantly raise her head from the desk.

“Hey.” Frost smiled from a distance.

“Hey,” she echoed, though she barely got the syllable out before her face crumpled in tears.

“Okay, okay,” he soothed, immediately coming into the room and to her side. Though their friendship was still a new one, it wasn’t in his nature to let someone suffer alone. Kneeling by her chair, he took her hands in his. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” she sobbed. “I’ve made a horrible mess of things, Barry. She must hate me.”

“Okay, so first, she doesn’t hate you. Why do you think she sent me down? She’s worried about you. Second-” he paused to find the right words. “You know Jane. She internalizes things, deals with them on her own. Good and bad. She’ll come around. You didn’t make a mess of anything.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.” His smile was infectious. “Just give her some time. Then go upstairs and talk to her. Maybe bring her something from La Bakeria.”

Her tears tumbled into a laugh. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” He rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

“Which part?” 

Handing her a tissue, he said, “Everything. I take it Joy got down here.” He gestured to the flowers on the floor. “And I take it things didn’t go well.”

“She convinced security to let her downstairs, then the janitor to open my office.”

“Hope those guys have kids already, ‘cause they won’t be able to have any after Jane’s done with them.”

Maura sniffled another laugh, but quickly became serious again. “Then Jane came in. After. I was in the morgue. I didn’t hear her come in. I was just-” She made a face and motioned to her head. “All over the place. I thought it was Joy coming back. I picked up a scalpel and-”

Frost didn’t need her to finish the rest. He put the pieces together himself. Glancing at the floor for an answer, he said, “I don’t know what to tell you, Dr. Isles. What I do know is, she’s a hell of a lot stronger than anyone I know. And I think you are, too. You’ll figure it out. Both of you.”

“You really think so?”

He stood and she followed suit. “I do. But it’s not what I think; it’s what you think.”

She pulled him into an unexpected hug. “Thank you, Barry.”

He returned the embrace with feeling. “Any time. Maura.”

She smiled at the use of her first name. “Any suggestions from La Bakeria?”

“You got a pen and paper?”

…..


	14. Chapter 14

…..

The bullpen was unexpectedly quiet, and Maura wasn’t sure if that was a good bad thing. Frost sat alone at his desk, inputting something into his computer. Jane’s desk was empty. He must have caught her movement from the elevator, because he turned his head and smiled at her arrival. Standing, he met her halfway across the room.

“She’s in with the Lieutenant,” he answered her unspoken question. “Tore a strip off the security guard downstairs big enough that he filed a complaint.”

Maura’s eyes darted to Cavanaugh’s closed door. “Oh, no.”

Frost waved away the concern. “It’s just a formality. She’s okay. In fact, if I heard half of the yelling right, LT gave it to him even worse. She should be out soon.” He offered his seat and said, “I’m going downstairs to get us some coffee. Why don’t you sit?”

“No, I’m fine.” 

His reply was a single raised eyebrow.

“Okay,” she relented. Almost shyly, she handed him one of the bags in her hand. 

He unfolded the paper and peered inside. The contents brought a smile to his face. “La Bakeria.”

“You only listed what Jane would like, so I’m hoping at least one of those applied to you.”

“Are you kiddin’? All those applied to me.” He offered his brightest smile in return. “You didn’t have to, though.”

“I did.” She leaned forward and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

“Wow. Okay.” He touched his cheek and felt the heat of his blush under his fingers. “I’m-” he thumbed in the elevator’s direction. “Coffee.”

Left with nothing but the background chatter of the office, Maura looked around at the environment that was still very new to her. While her office was white and pristine, the bullpen appeared to be clinging to the ordered side of chaos, but only by a thread. Papers were piled neatly, yet didn’t appear to be part of a filing system. Coffee cups were stained and chipped from years of double shifts and careless gestures. Those that were deemed too far gone for even the brew that passed as coffee were recycled as pen holders, paperclip containers, and other items that Maura only dared to imagine. The chair squeaked when she leaned back, the wheels rolling slightly on the wood floor that bore well-worn paths from the interrogation room, the bathroom, and the elevator. Her eyes finally fell on Jane’s desk.

For a woman who appeared at times to be a living embodiment of a whirlwind, her desk was surprisingly organized. She had an IN and OUT system that seemed to be in use, and her pens were in an actual container. Sticky notes covered the plastic desk protector, but in a way that spoke of an order, even if it was one only Jane could decipher. A single note stuck to the side of her monitor, and Maura’s natural curiosity made her lean across for a better look. Craning her neck around the computer, she saw a simple word.

_Flowers?_

Her brain had just begun to mull over its meaning when Cavanaugh’s door opened. Caught between sitting, leaning and standing, Maura opted for the latter. 

“Hey,” she began. Her fingers curled around the paper bag, and the tactile contact made her remember the point of the offering. “I got this from La Bakeria. Barry thought it might help.” She shook her head. “Not that I think a baked good can fix everything. But I hope it’s a start. I just need you to tell me what I have to do, Jane. I’m so sorry that-”

Jane held up her hand in a way similar to how she did in the morgue, but this time, she said, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Maura nodded, grateful Jane wanted to talk at all, though she was surprised to follow the well-worn route to the interrogation room. Hesitantly, she stepped inside at Jane’s direction. The door was barely closed when she felt Jane’s arms around her.

“I was so fucking scared, Maura,” Jane whispered.

Startled at first, it didn’t take Maura more than a thought to wrap her arms around Jane’s waist. “I know. I’m so sorry.” Maura could feel Jane shaking her head against her.

“For you, Maura. I was scared for you.” She pulled back and brushed Maura’s hair away from her face. Her eyes scoured over Maura as if seeing her for the first time. Closing her eyes, Jane said, “It was Hoyt all over again. But this time it was you, not Karenna Ghent.”

The revelation floored Maura. She had assumed it was the scalpel that brought Jane to her knees. It was a punch to the solar plexus to be told it was her appearance in Jane’s flashback that was the catalyst for the reaction. Reaching up for the hands that were framing her face, Maura turned one way, then the other, kissing both palms. 

“I’m okay, Jane.”

The words seemed to comfort her, because she slowly opened her eyes. 

“I know. I know that now. I’m sorry that I left you like-”

Boldly, she stood on tiptoes and kissed Jane into silence. Jane returned it with fervour.

Breathlessly, Maura said, “I think we’ve apologized enough for a lifetime, don’t you?”

“I’ll remind you of that the next time I screw up. Which should be-” Jane flicked out her wrist to look at her watch. “Any minute now.”

Maura curved herself into Jane and smiled. 

“But if you’re going to buy La Bakeria every time you think you need to apologize,” Jane continued, enjoying the feel of Maura pressed against her, “maybe we can pretend fight in the future?”

The fact Jane had envisioned a future between them was more than enough to make Maura agree.

…..

“Alex, this is Dr. Maura Isles. Maura, this is Alex Kuznetsov.”

The two shook hands, Maura’s looking small in his.

“‘Kuznetsov’, from the Russian word ‘kuznet’, meaning ‘blacksmith’,” Maura said. “It’s certainly appropriate.”

He was average height, but thick across the shoulders and chest, with forearms the size of most men’s biceps. While his handshake had been a welcome one, she had no doubt his hands had done their fair share of damage. His compact menace was offset by his warm eyes and unexpected smile.

“She says what she thinks. I like that,” he grinned.

When they had left the interrogation room, Jane had convinced Maura to file a restraining order, and when she’d reluctantly agreed, Jane made a call. 

“We’ll have to get her last name,” Jane had explained. “The tech guys can pull a picture of her from the cameras at the door. I know a guy who can help with the rest.”

He showed up in less than an hour, a testament to the respect Jane engendered in her friends. He listened to the information, frowned at the development, and nodded at the wisdom of getting the restraining order. 

“I know it’s unwelcome,” he said, “but what this woman is doing is moreso. And sometimes something official is all it takes to get people to stop. They see something from the court and now it’s real, right? And if not, that’s what I’m there for.” He reflexively clenched and unclenched his fists.

Jane nodded appreciatively. “How long will it take?”

He blew out a short breath. “No more than an hour or so. No problem.”

“That fast?” Maura said. “You’re very good.”

His lips twitched and he dared a glance at Jane. “I’d make perhaps a sly comment but I like my balls where they are.” Before Jane could reply, he returned to the topic at hand. “You need a friend to go to the court with you?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Jane and Maura looked at each other.

“Do I?” Maura asked.

“I’ve got to finish up the Legano case,” Jane said. “The DA’s going to want statements and evidence. We haven’t even started it yet. We just brought her in when... when I went downstairs to see you.”

Alex must’ve seen Maura’s pale expression because he lightly touched her arm. “Hey. This is what I do, right? Twenty years, women, children. I do it all. Give me 2 hours, I’ll find the name. Then we’ll get the papers from the court and file.”

“You think the judge will issue an ex parte?” Jane asked.

He nodded. “On what you’ve told me? For sure. She lied her way into the police station on top of everything else. Judge won’t like that.”

Maura pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do I need a lawyer?”

“No,” he said, “it’s a simple process. The clerk will have papers. We will fill them out and file them and sit all day until we see the judge. The ex parte lets you file without her there and the judge will schedule a hearing much faster. In 10 days.”

Maura sighed. “Okay. I suppose I could finish up with Susie while I wait for you to come back.”

“Uh, I suppose not,” Jane said. “You’re waiting up here until he comes back.”

“Jane-”

“Maura. Please.” The second word was spoken even softer than the first.

“Less than 2 hours,” Alex promised. “And it won’t be so bad looking at her for that time, will it?”

Maura smiled in defeat. “No, I suppose not.”

Jane’s eyebrow quirked up. “You suppose not?”

…..

As much as Maura enjoyed Frost’s company and Jane’s attention, she was quickly discovering she would never be able to live and work this way, always escorted, always looking over her shoulder, so she was happy to see Alex return in under an hour.

“Very easy,” he said. “Your BRIC men have very good computer skills, but they are bound by the law. Me, not so much.” He shrugged like he wasn’t talking about illegal activity to a police officer.

Frost snorted and Jane said, “I’ll pretend I don’t know what that means.”

“He means-”

“Maura, I know what he means. That’s why I said I’ll pretend.”

Maura nodded. “Right.”

“‘Joy Drammond’,” he continued. “Thirty-four years old. Works at Mills-Franklin, some kind of insurance company. Single. No children. I can go back 10 years if you like to hear me talk.”

“No,” Jane answered, “that’s more than enough. You’ll take Maura to the courthouse?”

“Of course.”

Jane saw Maura close her eyes. Stepping close and allowing a display of affection more public than she would have considered two days ago, she ran her hands up and down Maura’s arms and waited for her to open her eyes. When hazel eyes met hers, Jane tried to infuse as much of her strength into Maura as she could, both through touch and words.

“It’ll be fine,” she assured her. “The hardest thing will be finding something to talk about with this guy all afternoon.”

“I am a wonderful conversationalist,” he objected. “And I have the Kindle if the doctor would like to read some good Russian literature.”

Jane blinked. “You used a 6 syllable word, Alex. I’m impressed.”

“Bah. I shouldn’t make my horizons wider?”

“No, she was just thinking _she_ doesn’t use 6 syllable words,” Frost said, earning a glare from Jane in return.

“Whatever.” She returned her attention back to Maura. “Really. I know it’s a cliché, but the waiting _will_ be the hardest thing. I promise.” 

“I know,” Maura admitted, subconsciously leaning into Jane. “Suddenly, I just want this to be over.”

“If we file today, the judge could schedule a hearing in days,” Alex said. “Many factors will encourage him to put it to the front.”

Jane narrowed her eyes. “What kind of factors, Alex?”

It took him a moment to understand the meaning behind the question, and he laughed. “Ha! I like you, Jane!”

“I see you didn’t deny anything.”

“If there are certain pictures of certain judges for anyone to trip over, is it my fault? No. I am a simple man doing a simple business. Now, Dr. Isles, if you are ready, we can go?”

Maura’s quick kiss shook Jane of her quiet admiration of Alex’s bravado, but Maura had already moved on.

“I’m ready, Mr. Kuznetsov.”

He bowed slightly and held his hand towards the elevator. “After you, Dr. Isles. And please, call me ‘Alex’.”

The heat was still high in Jane’s cheeks when they entered the elevator. Frost was the first one to break the silence.

“He was joking about those pictures, right?”

Jane could only shrug.

…..


	15. Chapter 15

…..

Jane had been right: the waiting had been the hardest part, for though it took a matter of minutes for her to get the proper papers from the court clerk, fill them out and give them back, it took a better part of 3 hours for the judge to see her. The look shared between Alex and Judge Brindemore made Maura wonder about the validity of Alex’s earlier joke regarding photos, but she was guiltily willing for anything that would expedite the process. Whether the joke was true or not, the judge scheduled a hearing in 2 days, much to her relief. With the promise of a conclusion on the horizon, Maura stepped out of the building feeling better than she did when she went in. 

“You feel better, right?” Alex asked, seeing her tilt her face towards the sky.

She hummed her approval. “Very much. Thank you, Alex.” Touching his arm, she looked at him warmly. “You do this for a living. It’s a very noble cause.”

He frowned. “No. It’s only the right thing to do. I see your expression on the faces of so many other women, children, too. The money is good, please don’t mistake me.” They both smiled. “But it feels good, too. To help.”

“I see why you and Jane are such good friends.”

He dipped his head and Maura would have sworn he blushed.

“And you two are… friends,” he said, playfully emphasizing the last word.

Now it was her turn to blush. “Yes.”

“Very good! So now we are friends, too.” He held out his elbow for her to take. “But let’s go before she comes looking. As I said, I like my balls where they are!”

…..

“So now what?” Maura asked, after she and Jane said their goodbyes to Alex at the station.

“Now, we go home,” Jane replied, then quickly corrected herself when she heard the words. “I mean, I’ll take you home.”

“You need anyone to watch tonight?” Frost asked.

Jane shook her head. “No. I’ll be staying the night.” She heard the words again and groaned, much to Frost’s delight. 

“I have a guest room if you like,” Maura offered.

“She has a guest room,” Jane repeated to Frost, who was still grinning. “So I’ll be staying there. In the guest room.”

Frost held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay.” Under his breath, he muttered, “If you say so.”

It wasn’t as quiet as he might have thought, because Jane narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at him. Still, he laughed.

“I’ve already spoken to Cavanaugh,” Jane said, hoping to move things on to another topic. “I’ve typed up the interviews with Cynthia Parker and Gary Raines.”

“I’ve got the info from the lab on the stab wounds and gelatin,” Frost said. “The YouTube video about the knife and her cooking segment are on a USB stick, ready to go.”

“Good. We’ll get that to the DA in the morning and get the ball rolling. That it?”

“Seems like it, yeah.”

“Okay. How about you?” She turned to Maura. “Anything you need to pick up downstairs before we go?”

“I’d like to check in on Susie,” Maura replied. “Just to thank her for filling in while I’ve been away today.”

Jane nodded. “You’ve got your car keys on you?”

“In my purse, yes.” She pulled them out of her bag. “Why?”

Rather than answering her directly, she turned to Frost. “You want to bring her car around the front?”

“Hell yeah!” He tamped down his enthusiasm with an apology. “Sorry. In light of everything, not the right time for that.”

She forgave him by taking the keys from Maura and dropping them into his palm. “We’ll be out in 5.”

Maura waited until Frost was gone before she asked, “Why is he bringing the car around?”

Jane guided her to the elevator. “We don’t need a repeat performance from yesterday. No sense encouraging her if we don’t have to.”

The fear Maura had felt in the garage returned, leaving an acidic taste in the back of her throat. Pushing it down, Maura adopted Jane’s deflection tactic and replied with humour.

“You chose me over the Mercedes?”

Straightfaced, Jane said, “It’s only from the garage. Anything farther than that?” She shrugged as if she didn’t have an answer. She got a playful slap, but Maura’s laugh was the real reward.

…..

The levity dissipated when they saw the car out front, reminding them of the reason they had to go to such lengths. Frost stepped out of the car and flicked his eyes to the corner where the 2 streets met. Jane caught the movement, but only gave a subtle nod. It wasn’t subtle enough.

“Jane,” Maura said. 

While Joy didn’t make herself obvious standing at the newspaper box at the intersection, she made no effort to hide, either.

“I know, sweetheart,” Jane replied, and it spoke volumes of the tension in the air that neither Frost nor Maura called her out on the endearment. “Let’s just get you in the car.”

Jane fell into immediate protector mode, arm around Maura, eyes not looking directly at Joy, but never losing sight of her in her peripheral vision. Frost held the passenger door open for Maura and closed it once she was in. He waited for Jane to give the all-clear sign and slide into the driver’s seat before he tapped the roof and gave his own thumbs up. 

“I can’t live like this,” Maura said in the quiet car. “I won’t.”

“I know. Only a couple more days.”

“And what if she doesn’t comply with the order?”

Jane pressed her lips tightly together. “She will.”

“I wish I had your determination,” Maura said. “I’ve been reading.”

Jane’s mouth relaxed into a small smirk she couldn’t prevent. “Of course you have.”

“Erotomania,” Maura went on. “The DSM has acknowledged it as a subtype of delusional disorder. Once the sufferer has latched onto the object of their desire, there is very little that can be done outside of medical help.”

“Then we’ll get her medical help.” She reached over to calm Maura’s fidgeting hands. “We will.”

“I hope you’re right.” 

“Of course I’m right.”

Maura slid a hand from under Jane’s to lay it on top. With smooth strokes, she smiled. “Of course you are.”

Jane nodded sharply at Maura’s agreement. “Yes.” The car turned right and she said, “Almost home.” This time, she didn’t correct her wording.

…..

Leaning against the couch cushions, Jane patted her stomach and let out a face-splitting yawn that she just barely covered with her other hand. 

“Pizza and the Sox winning. Doesn’t get much better than that.” She glanced at Maura who was tucked into her side. “Though there are exceptions to everything.”

Maura curled in closer against Jane’s arm. “You know, we can have something other than pizza some time. I do cook.”

“Next time. Besides, I’ve got to keep my pizza place on its toes.”

“I see,” Maura mused. “Well, be careful they don’t start thinking this is your new address.” She paused at the thought. “Not that it would be such a bad thing.”

Kissing the top of Maura’s head, Jane whispered, “No?”

Maura pulled back to look at her. “No.”

With more confidence than she had the first time, Jane tilted Maura’s mouth up to meet hers, and like the first time, the response was warm and willing. They shifted on the couch, their knees banging into each other, their laughter mingling. 

“No wonder things never got past first base when I was a teenager,” Jane said. “Couches don’t make it easy to get to second.”

Kissing Jane’s chin, Maura said, “I have a bed big enough to get a homerun in.”

Jane laughed. “Not sure that’s how the analogy works.” She dropped a light kiss on Maura’s lips. “Besides, I think I mentioned I’d sleep in the guestroom.” She kissed her again to assuage Maura’s sudden doubt. “It’s not that I don’t want to. The homerun thing.” Her self-deprecating grimace brought a smile to Maura’s face. “You know what I mean! I just want to make sure the timing’s right, you know?”

Maura bowed her head and her hair covered her face so Jane couldn’t read her expression. Just when Jane began to worry, Maura curled her hair behind her ear and looked up. The doubt was gone, replaced by an understanding. She framed Jane’s face with her hands and got three kisses in before Jane’s brain kicked in and deepened the kiss. Taking the initiative, Maura slid her hands into Jane’s hair and brought her in even closer. Not to be outdone, Jane curled one hand around Maura’s waist and laid the other on Maura’s knee that was pressed so closely to hers. Tongues and mouths and touches made silent promises, none more so than Jane’s fingers that boldly charted a scouting mission from Maura’s knee to the hidden reward under Maura’s skirt. It was when those fingers tripped over the hem of the stocking and made contact with skin that they both sighed. But it was also a kind of proverbial line in the sand for Jane who reluctantly withdrew her hand, much to Maura’s dismay. Her pout was almost adorable.

“We have all the time in the world,” Jane whispered, pressing her lips to Maura’s forehead. “I promise.”

“Mmmm,” Maura replied, not disbelieving, but not liking it, either. “Fine,” she said, feigning disinterest. “I’m going to have a shower. And if you end up imagining me naked, that’s not my fault.”

She pushed up from the couch and sauntered away with an exaggerated sway to her hips.

“Not your fault?” Jane called out. “Not your fault? You just put that image in my head!”

…..

A/N: There may or may not be smut in the next chapter. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please note: This chapter is rated 'M'.

…..

“Hey, turtle.”

“Tortoise!” came the immediate correction from the guest room. 

Jane leaned against the door frame, fresh from her own shower, and watched as Maura made sure everything was to her liking. 

“Pretty sure there are hotels that aren’t this nice, Maura.” She stepped into the room and took Maura’s hands in hers. “It’s great.”

Maura shook her head at her own actions. “I don’t know why I think I need to go to the trouble. Not that you’re not worth it,” she quickly added. “Not that you’re trouble.”

“Breathe,” Jane gently encouraged, giving her hands a squeeze. “One, you’re a perfectionist. Two, you’re burning off nervous energy. Considering the last few days, I can’t blame you.”

Maura nodded at the insight. “I’m not used to not being in control, “ she admitted. “What?”

Jane’s smirk tattled on her. “You, a control freak? No!”

“Very funny.” Maura offered a small smile, then turned serious. “I’m so accustomed to being given a problem, dissecting it and coming up with a solution. I have methods in place for a reason; I don’t do well when I’m floundering.”

“You’re just talking about-” She didn’t want to say the name out loud. “The legal situation, right?”

“Yes, of course.” Maura frowned. “Why?”

Considering how quickly Maura replied, Jane felt silly for thinking otherwise. “I just thought, you know, maybe you were talking about us, too.”

Maura’s eyes widened. “No! No, Jane. This,” she lifted her hands to trace Jane’s collarbone, “this, while not planned, is certainly not unwelcome.”

“An acceptable form of floundering.”

Maura laughed at the turn of phrase. “Yes. I like that. An acceptable form of floundering.”

“Okay. Good to know.” She rested her hands on Maura’s hips and drew her in for a kiss. “I feel turtle eyes on me.”

Maura glanced around Jane. “Bass, you're making our guest uncomfortable, and while you're well within your rights considering she insists on calling you a turtle, why don’t you find those strawberries I left out for you?”

The tortoise seemed to consider it, then slowly lumbered off. 

Turning with Maura still in the circle of her arms, Jane shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m more surprised that you just had a full conversation with a turtle, or that he actually understood you.”

“You call him a turtle on purpose,” Maura said, lifting her chin and closing her eyes defiantly.

“On porpoise,” Jane corrected.

Cracking open one eye, Maura chided her with a tsk. “Shameful.”

“But irresistible.”

Maura conceded the point by kissing her. 

Everything about ‘this’ and ‘us’ was still so new, but Jane was willing to bet she’d never tire of the feel of Maura’s lips against hers. The way she offered her mouth but still had no qualms about taking Jane’s was a seductive balance that sent Jane’s head reeling. And if that didn’t do the trick, the soft moan that seemed to be a precursor to their tongues touching would make up for it. The sound bewitched Jane’s hands into sliding down the silk robe and pulling her closer, shifting her thigh between Maura’s. When Maura had offered Jane her workout pants to sleep in, she had laughed at the spectacle she must have made in pants that were at least 6 inches too short, but now she was incredibly grateful for the cotton between them. Had she felt Maura’s thighs against hers, Jane wasn’t sure how much sanity she’d still be able to claim. As it was, she could already feel her composure slipping away in a sea of Maura’s sighs and touches. Reluctantly, yet firmly, she brought her hands to Maura’s shoulders and pulled back.

Summing an ounce of strength from God knows where, Jane inhaled deeply and said, “I don’t want you to regret this. Maybe you should think about it.”

To her surprise, unlike the response she got on the couch, Maura pushed forward, figuratively and literally. 

With her hips pressed into Jane’s, she asked, “Will you regret it?”

“No, but-”

“Then I’m tired of thinking, Jane. And I want to feel something other than fear.” 

She gazed at Jane and pushed her towards the bed, gently, but with unmistakable intent. Moving backwards, Jane misjudged the distance and fell onto the mattress, much to Maura’s delight. Wiggling a finger, she directed Jane to move up to the head board. Complying without hesitation, Jane propped herself on her elbows.

“You sure?” Jane asked.

The robe slipping off Maura’s shoulders to the floor was the unspoken answer, and if Jane wasn’t entirely certain, the sight of Maura lifting her nightgown over her head and dropping it to join the robe dispelled all doubt. Jane was certain her fingertips literally tingled at the thought of touching all that skin. 

Her head lolling back, Jane said, “I have no imagination, because that’s not even close to what I pictured when you were in the shower.” She raised her head. “That is so much better.”

Maura dipped her head, almost embarrassed at the praise, but when she lifted her eyes, there was nothing but a confidence that sent a jolt through Jane. “Do you want to know what I imagined while I was in the shower?” Without breaking eye contact, she ran a finger between her breasts down to her navel where she lazily traced a circle before teasing along the elastic of her underwear. 

Jane flopped back on the bed. “Oh, God,” she groaned. Her imagination might have been lacking, but it only took a glimpse of what Maura was doing to get a picture of what she might have done.

“I didn’t get very far,” Maura said, so casually it made Jane groan again. “I knew it wouldn’t be what I wanted.”

Jane felt the bed shift as Maura knelt between her legs. She was still deciding on opening her eyes or revelling in the anticipation when Maura dropped an open mouth kiss on Jane’s sternum.

Jane let out a noise that she hoped wasn’t as high as it sounded to her ears. When she felt Maura’s laughter vibrate through her ribs, her hope was dashed. She was surprised to find she didn’t care. She suddenly realized she’d learn to sing soprano if it meant Maura would keep doing that thing she was-

“Jesus!”

Somewhere during her internal ramblings, Maura had pushed up Jane’s tank top and introduced her mouth to a willing breast. Soft and warm lips contrasted with a nipple hard and cool from the attention. Jane couldn’t help but thread her fingers through Maura’s hair and hold her closer, begging and demanding for more. Her dismayed whine at Maura pulling away was quickly replaced with a satisfied sigh when she bestowed the same lavish attention to the other nipple. 

“You’re amazing,” Maura whispered reverently.

Jane’s chuckle was low and inadvertently seductive. “Right back atcha.” 

She felt the responding grin against her breast, groaned at the lips that moved up her throat to her ear.

“You have no idea.”

The chuckle turned into a full laugh. “Go you.”

With a small tug, Jane helped her remove the tank top and stole a kiss before Maura pushed her back onto the mattress. The banter had cooled in Maura’s eyes to be replaced by something much more feral. Straddling Jane’s hips, Maura first drank in the sight with her gaze, then her hands. Palms painted their way up Jane’s ribs, then curled around breasts that arched up in anticipation. A gentle squeeze was met with a strained groan, and Maura hummed her approval. Just when Jane was certain she could live like this forever, Maura shifted down Jane’s legs to the foot of the bed, peeling away the sweat pants and underwear along the way. Had her throat not gone bone dry, Jane would have commented on Maura’s efficiency. As it was, laying naked under Maura’s clouded gaze had stolen Jane’s voice, and all moisture seemed to have pooled to a completely different part of her body. Jane pressed her legs together, partly from the acute attention, partly to relieve the tension. 

The move didn’t go unnoticed, and Maura cut it much too short by lifting Jane’s left leg and kissing the instep of her foot. Jane might have made a joke about the gesture if she didn’t find it inexplicably arousing. Maura held her gaze and did it again, this time adding a small bite. Jane jumped at the surprise and the bolt that went right through her. Raising an eyebrow, Maura looked to be filing that piece of information away for later; for now, she had other plans, one that involved her kissing a trail up the inside of Jane’s thigh. When she hooked Jane’s foot over her shoulder, Jane knew what was coming, yet she wasn’t nearly ready for it. 

If pressed, she’d like to think she’d had an average amount of sexual encounters for a woman her age. Work cut into that number ever since getting promoted to Homicide, and the gender of her partners skewed more in one direction than the other, despite her mother’s interference. Still, a fairly healthy sex life. But no matter the amount, no matter the partner, she had rarely found one so eager to go down on her the way Maura Isles was so obviously willing, and about to do. Maybe it was her insistence on being being on top - both literally and figuratively - that had prevented things from going in that way in the past. Maybe if she hadn’t realized how important it was for Maura to take control tonight, it might have gone the same way they all had. Glancing down at the blonde hair and hazel eyes between her legs, Jane somehow thought that wasn’t very likely at all.

“You’re thinking too much,” Maura chastised her, and the responding laugh was cut short when Maura’s tongue flicked over Jane’s clit. 

“Fuck!” 

She grabbed Maura’s hair to create some space and give herself some time, even as her own hips betrayed her by seeking out Maura, who made no note of the weak denial. Instead, she simply settled in, holding the left leg over her shoulder while stretching her free hand up to Jane’s breast. Her lips whispered cool air before her mouth captured her completely. Jane repeated the curse, her voice higher and stronger, her hand more willing to pull Maura closer rather than push her away. Maura was only more than happy to oblige, her tongue only too willing to seek out all the secret places that made Jane moan. Softness met softness, interrupted every now and then by teeth that nipped with light possessiveness. Jane pressed her heel deep into Maura’s back as she lifted her hips even closer to a woman who only had one focus, where every nerve ending had seemed to collect, where every want had pooled. She thrust upward without shame, riding high on Maura’s words of encouragement. 

“Yes, Jane,” Maura moaned, as if she were the one teetering on the precipice, and the idea that she wanted this as much as Jane let her shed whatever self-consciousness she had. 

She grabbed Maura’s hand over her breast and squeezed harder, arching off the bed, pushing impossibly closer. Heat burned through her and her body stiffened like an early warning system, as if she could be prepared for Maura’s single-minded attention, her mouth tasting, caressing and stroking a rhythm Jane was sure was meant to drive her crazy. Her moans filled the room, lifted louder and longer by Maura’s coaxing, until all she could hear was the blood rushing to her ears. Her back bowed and the tendons in her neck protested the angle of her head pressed hard into the pillow. Her breath caught in her throat and she only had enough to call out a name before she succumbed to the pleasure.

“Maura…”

And then, all was silent.

Jane could have been convinced she’d gone deaf, if not for the faint sound of her own laboured breathing that got louder and louder as if someone was slowly turning up the volume. Her muscles felt tense yet unbelievably relaxed all at once. Her skin tingled, almost oversensitized. A thin sheen of sweat cooled in the dips of her body, and she shivered.

“Cold?”

Jane looked down and laughed. Finding her voice, she said, “Don’t take this wrong, but I almost forgot you were there.”

Letting Jane’s leg slip from her shoulder, Maura rested her chin just below Jane’s navel and pouted. “How quickly they forget.”

Jane gently tugged at Maura’s hair. “Come here.”

Maura raised up, but before she complied, she stood at the foot of the bed and peeled away her underwear. Jane groaned at the sight. Maura grinned, watching how Jane’s body reacted to seeing her naked.

“Already?”

Jane thought about denying it, but shrugged. “Whatever. Now will you come here?”

If Jane thought the sight of a completely naked Maura Isles would be enough to jumpstart her body back to life, the _feel_ of a completely naked Maura Isles against hers was almost her undoing. 

“Oh, God,” she whispered. 

Her hands, unsure of where to go, went everywhere, over curves and across planes, mapping every dip and angle, and memorizing every sound that went with each discovery. When Jane’s fingers skimmed over a particularly sensitive area, Maura arched back in a feline stretch that pressed their hips closer together, making them both inhale sharply. Sitting up only heightened the sensation, and just when Jane began to think her brain couldn’t take more, Maura began to rock back and forth.

“Okay,” Jane said, warning yet pleading.

Maura looked down, tousled hair falling over her shoulders. With a grin, she asked, “Too much?”

Jane rested her hands on Maura’s hips, slowing down the pace. “Just- just give me a second.”

“Take your time.” 

With her hips stilled, the need to move transferred to her hands that now languidly stroked up her body and cupped her breasts. Jane’s eyes widened at the action. Maura’s gaze bore into hers, daring her to look away as she moaned at her own touch. Jane wasn’t a prude - God knows she got herself off on more nights than she could recall - but she wasn’t sure she had ever taken real pleasure in it, beyond a quick release to quiet her mind long enough to sleep. Definitely not the kind of pleasure Maura was showing her now, through half-lidded eyes and soft sighs. She pinched her nipples lightly, then replaced her hands with Jane’s, but not before laying a reverent kiss on each palm. Jane’s eyes squeezed shut at the gentleness behind the gesture and the softness in her hands. A sharp gasp opened them again. 

There was a sensual agenda behind Maura’s actions. Leaving Jane’s hands on her breasts left her own hands free to roam, skimming down to her knees and returning up to where their bodies met. There was a light touch that made Jane jump, but she knew the focus of Maura’s fingers wasn’t her but-

“Jesus,” Jane whispered, watching Maura tease and touch herself, all the while looking at Jane. 

Her hips twitched upwards against the back of Maura’s fingers, and the contact was just enough to brush across Jane’s clit. Devilishly, Maura bit her bottom lip and took Jane’s hand in hers. As she had done with her own, she slowly, painstakingly directed Jane’s fingers down her thighs, to her knees, the journey ending between her legs. Gripping Jane’s wrist, there was no preamble, no hesitation, just a silent demand that Jane was all too willing to fulfill. When she slid her fingers into the indescribable warmth and wetness, it was hard to figure who moaned louder. Maura’s self-control finally broke, and she let her head fall back in pleasure. Jane watched in wonder at the idea she could do that to this woman. Her fingers stilled at the enormity of the feelings that suddenly spread through her heart.

“You know,” Maura stammered, “When I told you to- to take your time, I didn’t mean it literally.”

“What?” 

Roused from her reverie, she looked down at her fingers still buried inside an impatient woman straddling her waist. The breathless admonishment and the relief that this was real made Jane laugh out loud. Before Maura could get out a full growl, Jane flipped them over and captured the sound with her mouth. Shifting position, Jane leaned to one side, slipping her thigh between Maura’s. The weight of her leg pressing behind her hand made Maura raise her hips, her right leg bent to push her foot against the mattress. Resting on one elbow, Jane watched the pleasure spread across Maura’s face, starting as a slow bloom that quickly grew into a desperate desire. Breaths became shorter and shallower the more Jane’s rhythm coincided with Maura’s hips. 

“Yes, yes, yes,” Maura chanted with every retreat and return of Jane’s fingers. “Please. Yes.”

It occurred to Jane that the greatest control was in giving it to someone else, and watching Maura come undone beneath her made Jane feel like the most powerful woman on Earth. Emboldened with that newfound confidence, she pushed harder and touched deeper, laying claim yet somehow promising all of herself at the same time. Maura seemed to sense the dichotomy because she found the strength to slide her fingers between them, possessing her in equal measure. The feel of Maura’s fingers claiming her so effortlessly made Jane pause, and she had to rest her head before she got lost in the sensation. The sound Maura made when Jane tasted the salt along her neck was enough to jumpstart her again. Jane lifted her head and no words were needed. Bodies and fingers moved as one. Faster. Harder. Gracelessly. Until-

“Jane!” 

Maura’s simple yet strained exhale was all Jane needed. Her head pressed back into Maura’s neck and she tried to memorize the shudder of Maura’s body even as pleasure shattered her own. She could feel every inch of Maura go rigid, every muscle pull taut before collapsing underneath her even as her body did the same. They remained still for a long time, until their hearts and their breaths recovered. Maura’s fingers along Jane’s hip mirrored their soft return to normal, and Jane sighed into Maura’s neck. 

“Just give me a second.” 

Maura laughed at the words echoed from what felt like a lifetime ago. Brushing the dark hair from Jane’s face, she pressed a kiss against her temple and stroked her back. 

“Take your time.”

Jane chuckled, lighter, freer, feeling like they had all the time in the world.

…..


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue to follow.

…..

The alarm wasn’t set, though Jane’s body clock was right on time. It had always been accurate within five minutes, even when she wished it wasn’t. The bed was too damn comfortable, the pillows too damn soft, and the body tucked into her side just too damn wonderful. Stifling a yawn, she lifted the blanket and took a peek, taking a moment to enjoy the view. The movement caused Maura to snuggle in closer.

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

Jane grinned. “That’s usually my line,” she whispered into soft hair. “C’mon. We’ve got to swing by my place to get some clothes.”

“My closet.”

“Yeah, we saw how much your pants covered last night.”

“We saw how long you kept them on.”

Jane’s head jerked down to look at Maura. “Wow. I get that thrown back at me at 8 in the morning, huh?” She gently pinched Maura’s side. “For that, you owe me La Bakeria.”

Reluctantly, Maura rolled onto her back, not caring that the blanket twisted underneath her, leaving a breast exposed. Resting her head on her hand, it only drew more attention to her nakedness. It didn’t go unnoticed by Jane.

“I see what you’re doing,” she admonished with little conviction. 

“I’m sure I don’t have any idea what you mean.” 

Jane leaned forward and kissed the smirk off Maura’s face. “I’m sure you don’t.”

A dull thump brought Jane’s head back up. Maura soothed her concern with a kiss of her own.

“It’s just the paper,” she told her. 

“You still get the paper delivered?” Jane asked, but before Maura could answer, she said, “Of course you do. How quaint.” Her eyes flicked down, and her finger lazily traced the uncovered nipple.

“There’s nothing wrong in wanting to keep good journalism alive.”

Even in her distraction, Jane was able to mimic Maura’s seriousness. “I concur. Or something.”

Maura swatted her hand away. “Just for that-” She tugged the blanket up to her neck. “Go get the paper and I’ll get dressed.”

Jane pondered the order. “Neither of those things sound like they benefit me in any way.” Seeing Maura’s raised eyebrow, Jane conceded. “Fine. We’ll just have to do morning sex some other time, I guess.” 

She rolled out of bed like it hadn’t been her idea to get up in the first place. She slipped on Maura’s robe with the intent on having something covering her when she opened the door, but the minute she heard Maura’s uproarious laughter, she looked down at her legs. The hem that fell just above Maura’s knee barely covered Jane enough to be what her mother would call ‘respectable’. 

“Oh, please get the paper in that,” Maura begged.

“Ha. Ha.” Quickly stripping it off, she grabbed her underwear and tank top from the floor, and after some consideration, threw on the too-short sweatpants. 

“Another time, maybe.”

Jane raised a sultry eyebrow. “Oh, Miss Isles!” With a wink, she said, “Be right back. Be ready!”

…..

Piecing it together later, Jane would lay the blame squarely at her own feet for not paying attention, even at 8 in the morning. _Especially_ at 8 in the morning, when sleep still wanted to cling to her like cotton, when her brain was doing everything it could just to get her limbs working properly. Alarm bells in her head rang a little too late when she opened the door and bent for the paper. She heard the soft ‘thud’, and it wasn’t until she felt the granite step under her hands that she realized it wasn’t a sound but rather a sensation in the back of her head.

“Ow,” she faintly protested.

“Get in the house,” came a hissed whisper.

Blinking from the morning sun and her newfound confusion, she tried to squint up at the voice, though her brain was finally kicking into gear a moment too late.

“Joy,” Jane said.

“Get in the house,” she repeated, this time using the gun in her hand as motivation. She waved it in the direction of the door. “Move.”

Staggering to her feet, Jane touched the soft spot behind her head, and was sure she saw three hands when she brought her fingers around to check for blood. She blinked several times, hoping to clear her vision, but the best she could do was get triple vision down to two. Receiving an impatient shove in the back, she stumbled into the house and landed in a heap on the floor.

Joy closed the door. “Where is she?”

Jane rolled on her back and willed the room to stop spinning, to no avail. “Who?” she asked.

“Don’t play stupid. Maura. Where is she?”

Groaning, Jane fought the nausea, fought for time. “That never works, you know - hitting someone in the head with a gun. That’s just movies.”

Joy stood closer. “The bullets work the same in real life though, don’t they?” She pointed the gun at Jane who could do nothing but hold up a hand.

“You don’t want to do this, Joy.” 

Despite her brain still being this side of scrambled, Jane drew on the little negotiating skill she had; she knew saying Joy’s first name might make her seem human in the eyes of the woman who stood over her with a gun. The tactic fell woefully short.

“Like always, you’re keeping me from Maura.” 

The weapon began to shake with desperate menace.

“She’s upstairs,” Jane said. 

Joy’s eyes flitted up the staircase then narrowed. “She didn’t turn on her light last night. You’re lying.”

Jane wasn’t sure what unsettled her more: the fact the woman had been watching the house all night or that she was now looking at Jane with an anger that was escalating to fury with every breath.

“Tell me where she is, right now.” 

“I’m right here.”

Both Joy and Jane turned to see Maura step from the hall into the entranceway. She held both hands up near her waist, surrendering yet soothing. 

Joy’s eyes lit up. “Maura!” She took a step towards her, then remembered Jane on the floor. “What is she doing here?”

“We were celebrating closing a case,” Maura said, happy it wasn’t entirely a lie. “It was a very hard day. Detective Rizzoli spent the night. In the spare bedroom.”

This seemed to appease her, but only momentarily. “Where did you spend the night?”

Maura bit her cheek, willing her body not to react to the incoming lie. “Upstairs.”

Jane briefly closed her eyes, knowing Joy had laid the trap to perfection.

“Lies!” Her voice went from casual to a scream in a single word. Holding both hands up to her head, she demanded, “Why is everyone lying to me?” She took in a deep breath and her demeanour changed in an instant. “It’s okay. I know she made you say that. She’s been the problem from the start.”

“No,” Maura replied softly. “She’s just a friend, like you.”

Joy shook her head. “No. She’ll never have what we have.”

Moving slowly towards Jane, Maura asked, “What do we have, Joy?”

“We have something special,” she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her eyes narrowed at Maura’s movement. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just checking her injury. Head wounds can be particularly dangerous.” 

It was only when Maura touched her that Jane felt her fear in trembling hands. Despite her quiet distress, she kept her body in front of Jane, a small but determined shield. They shared an unspoken thought with their eyes.

Put off by their silent communication, Joy held out the gun. “No. Move away.”

Maura’s reply was a simple one. “No.”

“Move away,” Joy repeated. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Maura held out her arms to her side, as if she could cover all of Jane behind her. “You’re not going to hurt anyone.”

Joy wiped away her tears with her free hand. “Why isn’t this working? Why are you sticking up for her? All she wants to do is keep us apart! She’s trying to take you away from me. Why can’t you see that?”

Maura tried a different tact. “Why don’t we talk about it? We’ll go into the kitchen and I’ll make you some coffee.”

Tears were replaced with a smile. “Do you remember how I take it?” The smile fell when it was obvious Maura was struggling with the answer. “You don’t care about me at all! I love you! Why don’t you love me?”

“What’s the name of her tortoise?”

Joy looked down at Jane who was still in a half-sitting position on the floor. “What?”

“She’s got a tortoise. What’s his name?” When no reply came, Jane said, “You didn’t know she had one, did you? What’s her favourite song? The one that she dances around the morgue to when she doesn’t know anyone’s watching?” Maura glanced over her shoulder at this reveal, but Jane continued on. “Who’s her favourite Pats player? She decided last Sunday when she watched a game for the first time in her life. What part of an autopsy does she hate doing the most? What’s her biggest fear? Besides you, I mean?”

“Shut up! Shut up!” 

The door swung open and Joy spun at the sound. Though the gun wavered, she had enough strength to pull the trigger, embedding a bullet into the wood frame. The distraction was enough to let Jane pull the gun from Maura’s back, where she had hidden it in the waistband of her tights. Without hesitation, she fired off a round, and as she was trained to do, hit Joy squarely in the chest. The woman dropped to the floor without a sound.

“Frost!” Jane shouted.

Her partner darted his head around the door to make sure the scene was clear. Seeing Joy’s eyes gazing lifelessly at the ceiling, he stood from his crouched position and stepped inside. Habit made him press his fingers against a pulse he couldn’t find. He kicked away the gun before checking on Jane and Maura. 

“Good distraction, partner. You okay?” he asked, crouching near her.

Jane nodded, then winced. “Yeah. Just a head injury.”

“Good. No one will be able to tell.”

It took her a second to get the joke. “Oh, good one. How did you-”

Frost tilted his head towards a silent Maura and Jane instantly understood. In the same way Maura had had the wherewithal to slip Jane’s gun in her waistband, she’d also thought to call Frost before making her appearance known. He took out his phone and dialed 911. Joy wasn’t going to need them, but he knew the foyer had now become a crime scene. Disconnecting, he looked at Jane, then at Maura, then back to Jane again. She saw the look and the unspoken question. Sitting upright, she touched Maura’s arm and said it out loud.

“You okay?”

Unsettlingly subdued, she could only nod. “Yes. I’m fine.”

Jane caught Frost’s look and mouthed the word, “Shock.” 

Before Jane could decide what to do, Frost shifted his position so that he was still crouched, but this time he put himself between Maura and Joy, blocking the view of the body on the floor. 

“I tried to read up on your katana,” he told her, “but I didn’t know where to look after ‘mid-16th century’.”

Jane’s brow furrowed at the seemingly out-of-the-blue comment, and was surprised when the words rekindled a kind of light in Maura’s eyes.

“It belonged to Sasaki Oto,” she said. “Despite the shame it brought on her family, she was one of the few documented female physicians of the time. Her father sent many men to convince her to change her mind.”

Frost looked over at the katana above the fireplace. “I’m guessing she wasn’t convinced.”

Maura laughed softly. “No. In fact, she ‘convinced’ her father to stop sending them.”

“She was strong,” he told her, touching her knee. “Like you.”

The words, coupled with the gentle tone seemed to rush everything back to the forefront. She wildly looked around until she saw Jane behind her. Scrambling around, she took Jane’s head in her hands and frantically searched her face. Jane submitted to the examination, but brought her hands up to Maura’s arms.

“It’s okay, Maura. I’m okay.” She repeated the soothing assurance until Maura’s eyes finally settled on hers. “See?”

“I heard the noise,” Maura said out of the blue. “I knew something was wrong. I looked out the bedroom door.”

Jane stroked Maura’s face, recognizing the lingering effects of the shock. Rather than trying to still her thoughts, Jane knew it was best to encourage her to let it out. 

“You called Frost.”

Maura nodded, her eyes glazed at the memory. She blinked sharply. “I should have called 911.”

“No,” Frost said, inching closer. “You did good, Dr. Isles.”

Jane agreed. “There was no way 911 would’ve gotten here faster than Frost.” When Maura didn’t reply, Jane prodded, “You put my gun in the back of your pants.”

Jarred from her reverie, Maura said, “I didn’t think I could shoot it.” Her voice was full of blame.

“No, no,” Jane jumped in. “What you did was really smart, Maura.” She wasn’t going to tell her the fatality percentages in situations with people who were inexperienced with guns. In all likelihood, Jane knew Maura already had the stats hovering on her lips. “When you moved in front of me and showed me the gun?” Jane smiled proudly.

Frost pieced the information together and was able to visualize what had happened. “You really kept your head.” 

The emergency sirens brought them back to the present, and when Maura turned to the door, Frost once again blocked her view of the lifeless body. A thump brought 3 pairs of eyes and 2 guns around to the noise coming from the hall. An ancient reptile poked his head out as if to see what the fuss was all about.

“Jesus,” Jane whispered, lowering her weapon.

“Hey, Bass. Good to see you, man,” Frost said.

Maura turned to Jane. “You called him a tortoise.” 

Jane had only begun to recall the conversation when she felt Maura’s mouth brazenly cover hers.

…..

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick thanks to all those who have read, left kudos and reviews. It's so nice to know even after its cancellation, Rizzoli & Isles still has a fandom! This is the end of this story, but there are still so many stories to write. Thanks so much for your support.

…..

Epilogue

She had spent a week in a nearby hotel while the floor was being replaced. Jane had agreed to check in on Bass and get Maura whatever she needed, with the unspoken promise of time. They hadn’t spoken about what happened that morning or the previous night, mainly because the tension that lingered over the first prevented them from talking about the second. It still didn't stop Jane from staying close, an unobtrusive yet welcome presence by her side, at work, at her car, at her hotel room door, but Maura knew it couldn’t last forever.

Which is why she was standing outside her house, key wavering over the lock.

Jane had protested Maura going alone, even if she knew it was something Maura would have to do on her own if she ever wanted to feel safe again. They compromised on a later visit from Jane that was bargained from, ‘I’ll be there in 15 minutes’, to a begrudging, ‘Fine. An hour.’ As Maura finally stepped inside, she wished she had agreed to the former. Despite the cool tile floor being replaced with warm wood, the scene that played out behind her eyelids didn’t change. The gun. The rage. The image of Jane on the floor. She took a deep breath and dared to open her eyes. Her gaze landed on the katana above the fireplace. 

_‘She was strong. Like you.’_

Frost’s words echoed in her mind and she accepted them like an emotional balm. A movement from the kitchen caught her attention, though it was a familiar sight. 

“Bass!” 

She crouched near him and rested her hand on his carapace. She watched as her tears splashed on the mottled shell, but they weren’t tears of worry; they were tears of relief. Between Frost’s words and Bass’ presence, she almost felt alive again. There was only one thing missing, and Maura knew it was only 47 minutes away.

…..

Or 35.

“Traffic was surprisingly light,” Jane explained when she showed up at the door. 

“I see,” Maura replied. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with the siren I heard coming up the street, would it?” She traced Jane’s collarbone before slipping her arms around Jane’s shoulders. 

It was the first real physical contact they had had in a week, and it was one Jane was more that happy to reciprocate. Her hands slid around Maura’s waist to draw her close.

“I would never misuse police resources that way.” 

Her deadpan delivery brought a much needed smile to Maura’s face. 

“So does that mean you won’t let me turn on the siren?”

Jane remembered their conversation in the car, one that felt like eons ago. “That’s misusing police resources in at different way, so yeah, I’ll let you play with my siren.” Maura rolled her eyes at the double entendre. Jane let the lightness wash over her before she asked, “How was it?”

She pressed her lips together and inhaled through her nose at the change in subject. “Hard,” she admitted. “But better.”

“And it’ll keep getting better,” Jane promised.

“I know.” She looked up into warm brown eyes and thought of everything her promise would bring. Rising up on tiptoes, she returned the promise with a kiss. “I know.”

…..

 


End file.
